A Policy Plan for the Boise Metropolitan Area

METRO PLAN ADDENDUM .
Policy B3b on page 13 reads:
Because of traffic and other impacts of foothills development
on the neighborhoods below, a limit to the amount of develop­ment
in any gulch will be established.
Proposed 1 i mi ts for each gulch are shown in the chart below:
1975 (Existing) Additional Units Units Expected
Pro(1osed 2000*
Crane Creek 758 814 488
Stuart 102 927 556
Pole Cat 128 418 251
Pierce Park 26 662 398
Seamans 5 158 95
Table Rock &
Cottonwood 351 550 330
Warm Springs 115 471 283
Hulls 553 650 390
TOTAL 2038 4,650 2,791
* Units expected by 2000 are 60% of the tota 1 proposed units.
by
Note: The number of persons per unit is projected at 3.1 persons per household.
A Policy Plan
for the
Boise Metropolitan Area
PRESENTED FOR A PUBLIC HEARING
on
June 29, 1978
Boise City Council Chambers
Boise City Hall
7:30p.m.
by
THE BOISE CITY COUNCIL
"The country about the Boise or Woody River is extolled by Captain Bonneville
as the most enchanting he has seen in the far west; presenting the mingled
grandeur and beauty of mountain and plain; of bright running stream and
vast grassy meadow waving to the breeze . 11
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville
by Washington Irving
PLANNING FOR BOISE
A PERSPECTIVE
Boise is experiencing two kinds of pressure as a result of its rapid growth rate.
One is the pressure to conserve the environmental and community qualities which
keep people here and which apparently are attracting new ones to migrate here.
The other pressure is to provide for the growth- provide homes, jobs, schools,
parks and sewers.
The citizens who have been involved in the discussion and preparation of this
plan have felt the pull of both of these pressures. The result is a plan which
proposes to accommodate growth with the least amount of compromise with existing
values.
THE ATKINSON REPORT - THE CITY'S FIRST PLAN
Boise's first Comprehensive Plan, prepared by Atkinson Associates, was adopted in
1964. The objectives of this plan were:
-TO FOSTER the development of sound, well-planned residential neighborhoods
which will maintain high value, be capable of reasonable city maintenance
and build the city's reputation as a desireable place in which to live.
- TO ENHANCE the functioning of the industries presently in the community and
encourage diversification of industry to broaden the city's economic base.
- TO PROMOTE the continued growth of the downtown business area as a regional
commercial and shopping center and to provide for neighborhood shopping at
locations convenient to the neighborhoods served.
- TO ASSIST in making the city administration an effective business operation
by advancing the efficient installation and operation of public facilities,
utilities, and service.
1
EVOLUTION OF THE PLAN
In succeeding years, the city refined several specialized plans which followed
the recommendations of the Atkinson Report. The Boise River Greenbelt Comprehen­sive
Design and Plan was adopted in August of 1968; the Bofse Central District
Urban Renewal Plan was adopted in September of 1968 and amended 1n 1971 , and the
Master Sewer Plan was adopted in February of 1973. Each of these steps marked
significant progress in carrying out the General Plan.
A major use of the General Plan has been (and will be) as the main reference for
development and change-of-zone applications. \~hen a proposal is made to the
Planning and Zoning Commission for a development, the first question which needs
to be resolved is whether the proposal is in compliance with the Plan. Although
good logic would dictate that development be in conformance with the Plao, such
conformance has also been made a requirement of Idaho State Law since 1975.
Since the General Plan map of 1964 was more specific than the narrative state­ment,
it became used almost exclusively as the city's official statement of its
Plan. Frequently rezone requests which appeared to be in conflict with the map,
but which seemed to be appropriate in every other way, would be approved in con­junction
with a parallel change in the Plan Map. This practice occasionally be­came
very complicated since the design of the original map was not made to faci­litate
identification of specific properties, but to be a general guide. Gradu­ally,
the Plan Map was beginning to look more and more like a zoning map.
NEED FOR A NEW PLAN
As the city moved from the slow-growing 60's into the fast-growing 70's, it be­came
clear that the assumptions and conditions of 1964 were no longer dependable
ones for planning the future in 1978: population growth may be more rapid than
anticipated, transportation issues are more complex because of air pollution and
fuel supply problems, preservation and conservation of resources and cultural
history seem ever more important as community values, technological change has
continued to affect industrial location, commercial retail and merchandizing
practices have been changing, and new styles in residential development have
been steadily gaining ground.
In addition, the state of the art of planning and land use regulation has been
changing. New techniques, devised and tested in other parts of the country, hold
some promise that Boise too can have more enlightened approaches to zoning re­gulations,
subdivision development and the regulation of such sensitive areas
as the foothills.
THE METRO COMf~ITTEE
On February 25, 1976, Mayor Eardley convened the Boise Metropolitan Plan Steering
Committee and enjoined the members to prepare a set of recommendations for a new
Comprehensive Plan for Boise which would "get a handle on the rapid growth which
has already become a problem in the Boise area." In order to provide continuity
with the citizen prepared Concept Plan, the citizen members of the commitee
2
can1e from the Citizens Advisory Committee which had produced it. Other members
of the Metro Committee included City Council members, representatives of groups
such as the flomebui lders and Chamber of Commerce, city department representatives,
Planning Commission members, and other interested citizens. The process, however,
was flexible; citizens interested in some issues more than others would attend
meetings selectively and make their input on the flood plain or foothills, the
proposed river crossing or some other subject.
The ~ietro Committee, as 1 t became known, discussed, debated, and compromised over
a wide variety of issues. They had briefings from staff planners of the Ada
Planning Jl.ssociation (formerly ACOG) and other technical advisors. They held
nine public information meetings in the various communities of the city. They
incorporated recommendations made by consultants concerning the city center.
Finally, in August of 1977, Chairman Eardley presented the Metro Committee's
work to the Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission and could say: "The
end result- what you have before you now to start working on - is truely a
citizens' plan. It's not the staff's plan, not my plan, not the city's plan,
but the citizens' plan".
THE METRO PLAN
The Metro Committee had considered several alternatives and settled on a plan
which they hoped would: *
"[Accommodate growth] in the most efficient manner possible from the stand­points
of service costs and the desired life style of the community. Al­though
future development must have some impacts on the existing community,
impacts should not be of a magnitude to endanger the integrity of whole
neighborhoods. The existing service systems must be maintained at an ade­quate
level of service and therefore system expansion must be weighed care­fully
against the need to maintain or upgrade existing facilities. Public
policy has a strong role to play in guiding development. Services and func­tional
investment, e.g., transportation, can be used to stimulate desired
development patterns. Development can and should be timed in terms of prior­ity
development areas."
In describing the hoped-for geographic pattern of development, the Committee said:
"The major themes which describe the metropolitan area's development pat­terns
are centrality and compactness. The city center area contains the
major employment center for the Metropolitan Area with approximately 50%
of all employment located there. It also should contain the major regional
retail center and serve as the cultural/entertainment center for the Metro­politan
Area and surrounding region.
The population center of the Hetropolitan Area should be encouraged to shift
from the west to the east, nearer the Central Business District. This should
be accomplished by encouraging development to occur to the east, mainly the
southeast area of Boise. The southeast should also receive high priority for
public funds which may be needed to establish incentives for development.
Public funds should also be used in areas where development has already oc­curred
(i.e. West Bench).
*From _Boise ~letropol itan Steering Committee Recommended Plan, page 1 •
3
Ultimately, of course, the current Metropolitan Area will completely develop.
The resulting pattern should be one of contiguous development and centrality.
The west should be developed at a relatively lower density than other newly
developing areas of the Metropolitan Area, i.e., at roughly the same density
it is now, around 3 to 4 dwellings per gross acre (equivalent to 10,000 sq.
ft. lots). The southeast would have a gross density of around 4.5 dwellings
per acre (equivalent to 6,000 sq. ft. lots). The last area to develop would
probably be the area between Five Mile Road and Cloverdale Road, north of
the freeway to Highway 20. The areas that presently need to be "infilled"
would have densities about the same as their surrounding areas unless infill­ing
at that density is not economically feasible. The higher density that
will occur should be located near the greenbelt primarily, as well as other
major open space areas, and in the downtown."
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
The Planning nnd Zoning Commission reviewed the Metro Plan and
concurred with practically all of the Metro Committee
recommendations. Tney noted that the Metro Committee had made
recommendations not only about planning policies, but also about
the type of provisions that ought to be included in a future
zoning ordinance. They asked that these be identified in a
separate paper, which is attached as an appendix. Although this
and other needs to edit and consolidate the Metro Committee
recommendations resulted in a shorter document for public review,
the Planning Commission is aware of and grateful to the many
citizens who gave so such time and energy in developing a plan
for Boise. ''The tough ground has been plowed for us, "remarked
the Commission chairman at one meeting.
rh• Commission also followed the recommendation of the Metro
Committee and staff thqt the city adopt what is known as a
poljcies plan "is a statement of the general intentions of the
city and thereby serves as a guide to day-to-day decision making
on the part of public officials, administrators and citizens. A
policies plan contains resonably detailed guiding principles but
not specific proposals .... Many of the kinds of policies that
would be included in a policies plan already exist in every
community. ThPy exist, however, in various places and forms.
The policies exist as explicit statements in comprehensive plans,
they are implied in plan maps and in the various "standards,"
they exist as "rules of thumb" in various public agencies, and
they are embondied in the guidelines that control the decisions
of various boards and commissions. Policies planning seeks to
bring these policies together, resolve conflicts between them,
and add new policies where appropriate."
Ihe Commission held a public hearing on March 14, 197~ and heard
testimony on various proposals in the plan. As a result of this
testimony, several adjustments were m~de in the text before the
document was transmitted to the City Council. In their letter to
the Council, the Commission noted several items that should be
attached to the Plan. These included a water element,
*From Franklin Bea1, Chapter 12, of Prfnci~les and Practices of Urban Planning,
International City Managers Association, 1 68.
4
implementation plans for historic preservation, neighborhoods,
downtown and other areas, an energy plan, and a parking plan for
downtown.
On May 15, 197tl the Commission transmitted its recommendations to
the Mayor and City Council "with our recommendations that it be
adopted and replace the existing Comprehensive Plan which was
adopted in 1965."
The City Council
The Council reviewed the plan and made some additional
adjustments to the policies which they now place before a public
hearing. These changes represent efforts to clarify portions of
the Plan which have caused some difficulties in understanding or
interpretation.
1. Density Targets. In the first drafts of the plan, the
intention to develop the southeast area at a certain level,
for example, was expressed in a policy which said that the
gross density of the area would be 4.5 units per acre. While
the intention has never been to demand a 4.5 unit per acre
density for every parcel in the southeast area, this
statement has caused confusion among many potential users and
interpreters of the plan. What was intended was that in
order to meet the goal of balancing growth in the southeast,
over 40,000 people should be encouraged to line in the
southeast area, and that if this was accomplished by the year
2000, the overall density would be 4.5 units per acre. Some
parcels would be at higher densities, some lower and some at
4 • 5 •
The City Council draft expresses the same intention by
declaring that the goal is to accommodate 37~ of our future
population projections, this percentage will amount to over
40,000 people. The new zoning ordinance will have to provide
zones which permit and even offer incentives for the kind of
development which will result in homes for 40,000 people.
2. Foothills Development, The Council has returned to the
recommendation of the Metro Committee concerning development
in the foothills. The Metro Committee recommended a
limitation to development in any given foothills gulch at
this time, with a provision that when and if such densities
were ever reached, a reassessment of the situation could be
made of the impacts of growth on the established
neighborhoods and the Plan adjusted accordingly.
3. Water. The Council is also placing before the hearing some
objectives concerning water facilities. These were
originally recommended by the Metro Committee.
THE PLANNING AREA
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PLANNING AREAS
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The ~ietro Committee defined the planning area with the boundaries shown above
and identified five sub-areas which were looked at one by one as the Committee
considered the development patter·n for the city. The North River Area includes
the foothills, the Northwest Area, the downtown district, and the Warm Springs
area. The Southeast area includes the University area, South Boise, and that
area as yet undeveloped which is identified as a high priority for development.
The Southwest includes the Airport, industrial park areas, and the residential
suburban growth south of Interstate 80. These and other smaller areas were
targeted by the Hetro Colllllittee for specific recommendations.
As the Metro Committee deliberated, they actually enlarged the study area. They
considered "traffic basins" in the foothills beyond the terri tory shown above;
they incorporated the developing Airport 14aster Plan, which envisages purchase
of lands south of Lake Hazel Road and control of noise-sensitive areas. While
the Committee worked, Garden City annexed portions of the "North River Planning
Area."
The planning area map was therefore revised to reflect the Committee's work and
is attached to the back of this report.
6
OTHER BOUNDARIES
1 .
2.
Sewer Planning Area - The Metro Committee did not recommend that muncipal
sewer service be provided for the entire planning area. ThP. map below
shows the current sewer planning area for Boise City.
Area of Im~act- In compliance with Idaho State Law, the city has identified
an "Area o Impact" around the city, in whkh the course of development will
have a significant impact on Boise City and its plans and people. This area
has been recommended to the Board of Ada County Commissioners. Since the
areas identified by other cities in Ada County overlap some of this area,
it is expected that the boundaries presented here are subject to change.
7
POPULATION PROJECTIONS
GROWTH
The table below compares the Atkinson Associates 1963 projections of Boise's growth
with those made by llilbur Smith Associates and the Ada Planning Association staff.
The boundaries of the "Boise Metro Area" for both Atkinson and Wilbur Smith are ap­proximately
the same, but not identical.
1960 1970
Boise Ci t,l*
Atkinson 34,481
Census 34,481 74,990
City Estimate
Boise ~1etro
Atkinson 82,500 109,000
Census+ 107,392
Wilbur Smith
APA
Ada Countl
Atkinson 93,460 121,500
Census 93,460 112,230
W11 bur Smith**
APA
* Dependent upon city limits.
** Medium range projections.
+ U.S. ~ureau of Census
1975 1980 1985 2000
110,000
98,199
136,000
120,960
120,960 234,325
158,000
134,600
139,400 164,700 190,900 267,000
139,400 289,000
Atkinson projections were somewhat high for the short range and possibly low for
the longer range. The ~lilbur Smith projections are generally based on an assump­tion
of a 3.4% annual growth rate for several years followed by a gradual decline
in the rate to 1.8% per year. APA assumptions are based on a somewhat higher rate
of growth per year.
P. presumption for future planning is that a city's public policy may assist in lo­cating
new population so that public services may be extended at the lowest possi­ble
costs and in an orderly predictable manner.
8
EHPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS
The chart below shows assumptions and projections made concerning employment which
were used by the Netro Committee and their staff.
----·
Retail
Offi ce1 Finance
Industrial, Con-struction,
Whole-sale
1Transporta-tion
Government
Education
Socia 1, Recrea-tion
TOTAL
Ada County
1975* est .
14,769
15,972
13 ,297
10 ,439
4,034
1,396
59 ,987
Boise Hetro
2000
31,925
38,476
33,943
25,508
7,229
3,112
140,193
Ada County
2000
36,015
41,777
35,655
27,545
8,416
3,520
152,928
Source: APA
*Estimates currently undergoing revision; figures subject to change.
The Metro Committee felt that:
...• "the Metropolitan area should contain from 90 to 95 percent of the
County's employment. This employment would be clearly centralized and
concentrated in the city center (office, retail, finanacial, administra­tive,
governmental and medical), near the airport (industrial) and Boise
State University (education) .
.••• this policy would provide the primary locational criteria for land
use decision in the commercial and industrial areas •••• the primary
purpose of centralizing and concentrating employment is to develop the
most efficient transportation trip pattern."
The Planning Commission incorporated these ideas in the downtow~ commercia~
and industrial sections of the Plan.
9
BEFORE YOU READ TfUS PLAN •••
The policy plan presented in the next section is organized into a series of
major goal statP~ents with various objectives and policies listed beneath
each goal.
The first four goals and their sub-statements represent basic proposals for
the structuring of the city as it continues to grow: they describe the role
and character proposed for the city's center, how population growth should
be balanced around this center, how services will be provided to the metro­politan
area, and how amidst the growth, every effort will be made to pro­tect
and preserve the neighborhoods of citizens who already live here.
The remaining foals and their sub-statements speak to the future integration
of public serv ces, commercial and industrial activities, and transportation
network into the essential scheme described by the first four goals.
A city is, among other things, a place organized to maximize the potentials
for contact and communication desired by the citizens. To this end, the
city's transportation, land use and other planning goals must be closely in­tegrated.
The strategies employed for solving transportation or any other
special set of problems must be carefully scrutinized in order to identify
potentially unwanted "side effects."
Once adopted, the plan is expected to have several important uses. In the
first place, the city will be expected to evaluate the use and expenditure
of its revenues by referring to its goals and its plan.
Secondly, applications for development will be reviewed in the light of this
plan. The first question to be asked of a proposed project will be: Does
it comply with the goals and intentions of the plan?
Finally, the plan will be used by city government administrators at all
levels in developing implementation and day-to-day operation procedures.
Most noticeably, the plan must be implemented with land regulation ordin­ances
designed to carry out the intent and policies of the plan.
The policy plan, although organized in topical sections, attempts
to integrate municipal planning and development policy into a
coordinated approach. The Boise City Council invites and look$
forward to public review of and comment on this proposed policy
plan.
10
A POLICY PLAN fOR THE BOISE METROPOLITAN AREA
GOAL A - The Center
GOAL A: The City should be compact and developed in a contiguous
manner around its center. The downtown district should
be the site of diversified land uses, have good access
from all areas of the City, and have a 24 hour activity
atmosphere.
Al: A regional shopping center will be developed in the
downtown core area. An economic environment must be
created and maintained to retain downtown Boise as the
regional retail center.
a. The city will adopt policies in zoning, planning,
and public services intended to further the goal of
locating the first regional shopping center in
downtown Boise.
b. Preservation of historic buildings will be
incorporated in the design.
A2: The downtown district should continue as the government
and commercial office employment center of Boise.
a. Owners of structurally sound buildings will be
encouraged to renovate such buildings.
b. Development towards the completion of the State
Government Mall Plan will be encouraged.
A3: The downtown district should be a prime location for
high density residential development.
a. Residential development in the River Street and
Myrtle Street areas will be particularly encouraged.
b. Structurally sound but substandard houses in and
near the downtown district should be rehabilitated,
maintained, and used for housing or office
activities compatable with residential uses.
c. Density regulations for the downtown district will
aim to bouse 3~ of Metro area growth by the year
2,000.
A4: The city will encourage the continued expansion of the
Idaho State Museum and nearby cultural facilities at
their present sites.
I I
12
A5: A cultural/performing arts facility will be encouraged
to locate downtown.
A6: "Mixed Use" development will be encouraged. "Mixed Use"
refers to the coordinated development of three or more
major uses as part of one project - convention,
performing arts and conference centers, motels, hotels,
specialty retail, high density residential. Market
studies should further explore potential for mixed use
development.
GOAL B - Population Balance
This section of the Plan makes reference to "Density Regulations•
for various parts of the metropolitan area. The percentage
figures mentioned in these statements were derived by identifying
available vacant land, projecting area-wide population growth to
the year 2,000 and calculating the amount of development in each
area that will be necessary in order to provide for new
population within the planned service area. Please refer to page
in the introduction for further explanation and figures of
projected population.
GOAL B: Ideally, the downtown district should also be the
geographic center of the population, so that the best access to
the center is available to the largest number of people.
81: The city intends to stimulate development of the
Southeast portion of the city.
a. Encourage the improvement of access from the area
into the downtown district.
b. Provide sewer trunk lines along with development.
c. Extend coverage area of fire protection service.
d. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
37~ of Metro Area growth by the year 2,000. In
order to achieve this target, a range of densities
and variety in living styles will be encouraged.
e. High densities will be encouraged near the
Greenbelt, near parks, and in the vicinity of Boise
State University.
f. Encourage the construction of the fourth public high
school in this area.
g. Protect the floodplain as high quality park areas in
their natural state.
h. Commercial development will be encouraged to develop
in centers located at the junctions of arterials
and/or major collector streets.
i. Technological industry development will be
encouraged in the Amity, Holcomb Road, Federal Way
area.
k. Locational principles for the southeast corridor
should include:
1. Convenience to proposed high density residential
development.
2. Outside the floodplain except for river
crossings.
3. Not separating the high density residential
areas from the greenbelt/open space syst
B2: The city intends to slow down the rate of growth in the
West Bench area.
a. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
15~of Metro Area growth by the year 2000.
b. Require new development to pay for the construction
of new sewer trunks in accordance with financing
formula set forth by the Public Works Department and
approved by the City Council.
c. Land area between Five Mile and Cloverdale Roads
which is not yet serviced by sewer trunk lines shall
be placed in the lowest priority on the construction
schedule in order to promote growth elsewhere first.
d. City investments in this area will emphasize
upgrading, restoring, and redeveloping neighborhoods
with substandard service systems.
B3: The city will permit residential development in the
foothills.
a. Because of hazards peculiar to the foothills,
development will be regulated in order to protect
public investments and future property owners from
losses due to slides, floods and erosion.
b. Because of traffic and other impacts of foothills
development on the neighborhoods below, a limit to
the amount of development in any gulch will be
established. Density regulations will aim to
provide housing for b~ of Metro Area growth by the
year 2000.
The actual density which may be permitted (or
required) at any given site shall be determined at
the time a development application is submitted by
assessing the following factors:
The capability of the land as determined by
geological, hydrological and engineering studies.
The capability of sewer, fire and other service
systems.
13
14
The degree of alteration to existing
neighborhoods required to accommodate adverse
impacts such as the impact of traffic volume from
proposed development.
Compliance with county-wide goals to protect deer
winter range habitat.
c. Planned development techniques will be designed to
facilitate density transfer opportunities, cluster
development, avoidance of environmental hazards,
soil conservation, and preservation of open space.
Phasing of development will be considered in order
to promote orderly contiguous development, and to
provide adequate opportunity for public review of
impacts of previous development.
d. A request for annexation to the city will be
required as a condition for using city services.
e. All foothills development will be on wet line
sewers.
B4: The City will encourage the development of the northwest
development area.
a. Portions of this area already on sewer will be
encouraged for infill development.
b. Those portions of the area not already on sewer will
be served with trunk lines in accordance with city
schedules and financing policy.
c. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
9J of Metro Area growth by the year 2000.
B5: The city will consider the Bogart Lane Area as a reserve
for urban expansion.
a. Land area between Gary Lane and Highway #55 which is
not yet serviced by sewer trunk lines shall be
placed in the lowest priority on the construction
schedule in order to promote growth elsewhere first.
b. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
9~ of Metro Area growth by the year 2000.
Bo: Residential and other urban expansion of the city south
of the airport will be avoided. Any development shall
be in conformity with the airport master plan and
appropriately buffered and set back.
B7: Infilling (development of vacant developable enclaves
within the city) will be particulary encouraged.
a. Use of land for "infill" parcels should be
consistent with neighboring uses.
b. A "consistent" use, above, may include a similar use
at a higher intensity or density (ie - duplex in ~
predominantly single family dwelling area).
c. For parcels which are being developed with uses
which are more intensive than the surrounding
neighborhood, additional design or other standards
may be required in order to reduce adverse impacts.
d. Priority should be given to the use of public funds
for upgrading service systems in areas where
development is being inhibited by undersized trunks
and mains and fire protection deficiencies.
e. The city will establish a systematic method of
coordinating the development of public and quasi -
public institutions with general land use and
transportation planning. Such institutions may
include hospit~ls, universities and government
office complexes.
f. Vacant land adjacent to Federal Way between Capitol
Boulevard and the Broadway interchange should allow
for a compatible mixture of residential, commercial
and office uses.
Btl: Density regulations for the Central Bench will aim to
provide for 7J of Metro Area growth by the year 2,000.
B9: Density regulations for the Southwest Area will aim to
provide for 12~ of Metro Area growth by the year 2,000.
B10: Density regulations for the Warm Springs Area will aim
to provide for 2~ of Metro Area growth by the year
2,000.
GOAL C - Service
GOAL C: Public services will be provided and/or planned for the
Urban Service Planning Area at schedules which provide
for the lowest public cost of development and which
promote the city's goal of balancing population growth
around the downtown area.
Cl: All neighborhoods will be provided with adequate
municipal service and public utility systems designed
and maintained to provide for all normal and seasonal
peak demands.
C2: Central sewer service will be planned and provided for
the Urban Service Planning Area in accordance with the
16
1913 Master Sewer Plan and as amended.
C3: After January 1, 1979, all new development at densities
requiring sewers within the Urban Service Planning Area
will be on wet line sewers. This policy will apply to
all preliminary and final plat approvals.
C4: Within the limits of funds available, sewer system
expenditures will be made to:
a. Up-grade systems in neighborhoods with deficiencies.
b. Provide incentives for development in the southeast
Boise development area.
c. Work with developers to serve land within the city
limits.
d. Where practical, to increase capacities when desired
land use changes include high density development.
e. Serve selected sites or areas for industrial
development.
C5: As an incentive to growth in priority areas, the city
will participate in trunk line extension costs in
accordance with financing formulae set forth by the
Public Works Department and approved by City Council.
C6: Provision of fire protection service will aim to
preserve a minimum of Class 3 service.
C7: Provision of central water facilities will be provided
in the Metro Area according to the following principles:
a. Expansion of central water facilities will follow
the development guidelines set forth in this plan.
b. Development which would reduce water pressure below
acceptable fire protection requirements will not be
allowed until pressure requirements can be met.
c. All new development will be served with central
water facilities.
d. Built areas not pressently served or under-served
with central w~ter facilities will receive high
priority for service.
e. Expansion of Boise Water Corporation's certificated
boundary to include land intended for development in
the Urban Service Planning Area will be supported.
GOAL D:
GOAL D - Urban Qyality
The City will promote and establish a physical framework
of development which encourages the development of form
and character of its districts, the preservation of its
neighborhoods, and the conservation of its historical
identity.
D1: The General Community Planning Areas, Policy Areas (see
Map) and other such planning areas as may be determined
will be considered as urban design entities. Plans and
implementation programs for these areas will aim to
reinforce the distinctive form, character, and identity
of each area. The following elements will be
particularly emphasized:
a. Conservation of established and familiar visual
elements in the city.
b. Preservation and adaptive reuse of designated
landmark buildings.
c. Planting, maintenance, and replacement of street
trees.
d. Public buildings and public spaces designed in
harmony with the predominant design theme of the
area.
e. The encouragement of art in public places.
f. Cooperative efforts to preserve the natural visual
character of the Boise Front, the Boise River and its
tributaries, the terrace slopes of the river
"benches", and the undeveloped edges of the city
adjacent to farmland or desert.
g. Underground installation of utilities.
h. Signage and lighting with appropriate relationship to
place and purpose. Advertising signs which are
targeted to public parks or the Greenbelt or which
intrude in established vistas and overlooks will be
prohibited.
i. Cooperative efforts to enhance the streetscape and
design of structures adjacent to Capitol Boulevard as
the principal symbolic entrance to the State Capitol
and the central area of the capitol city.
D2: The city will work in cooperation with the State and
County and other governmental entities to preserve and
enhance its natural environment and to mitigate the
impact of urbanization on the surrounding area.
17
l8
a. Water quality programs regarding the collection and
treatment of sewage and surface run-off will
continue to be implemented and improved.
b. The city will seek attainment of air quality in
conformance with the applicable national and state
standards.
c. Arrangements for the efficient collection and
proper disposal of solid waste will be continued as
a service responsibility of the city.
D3: The neighborhoods of the city will be protected from the
loss of residential quality arising from the impacts of
physical blight, traffic, intrusion of incompatable
uses, adjacent development, and inadequate service
systems.
a. In blight threatened neighborhoods, rehabilitation
of run-down homes will be encouraged rather than the
destruction of housing.
b. Arterial streets will be developed at the edges of
neighborhoods rather than through them. Collector
streets will be planned to avoid penetration of
neighborhoods to the greatest extent possible. All
streets will be designed to standards intended to
preserve residential quality.
c. The redesignation of local neighborhood streets to
arterial or collector status will be avoided where
possible. New development ouside an immediate
neighborhood requiring the redesignation of a local
neighborhood street will not be approved without
full consideration of the local impact.
04: The City will establish and maintain a plan and
comprehensive program of historic preservation intended
to conserve its historic identity as a major economic,
educational, cultural and social resource.
a. Historic landmarks, properties and districts will be
considered as integral elements in the urban design
and planning processes of the city. The City will
encourage preservation and rehabilitation programs
for the conservation and improvement of historic
sites and buildings.
b. The City will identify its historic sites and
buildings and promote public awareness of their
value and meaning.
c. The City will cooperate with national and state
agencies and local associations for historic
preservation in the development and implementation
of the City historic preservation plan and program.
TRANSPORTATION
Since the downtown is intended to be the major focus of
population and activity, the transportation system should be
designed to serve that focus.
GOAL:
1 •
The transportation system should promote ease of access
to the downtown area from all portions of the
metropolitan area, should facilitate the development of
mass transit and other mode alternatives, and should
provide for reduced fuel consumption, air pollution and
noise.
Each population concentration around the Metro area
should have low travel time access to downtown Boise.
a. Efficient arterials and connectors providing for
auto, transit, and bicycle travel should connect
activity and population centers with downtown and
with each other.
b. Where an "-terial is not a practical or desireable
solution for providing access because of the
disturbance to existing established neighborhoods, a
combination of policies will be applied - such as:
limiting growth or reducing densities, directing
traffic through a network of streets rather than on
arterials, tolerance of lower service levels on the
existing network of streets, selective closure of
streets or intersections, priority emphasis on
transit and carpooling.
c. Street alterations which will substantially change
the existing residential character of the streets
will be avoided.
d, Priority for new arterial development will be for
the southeast area.
e. Where currently functioning arterials are
inefficient due to the use of the street as a
shopping street, all applications for land use
changes shall be regarded as opportunities for
improving efficiency of the arterial for
through-traffic. Examples: reducing opportunity
for traffic turn conflicts, reducing number of
access points, approval of uses which have low
traffic attraction characteristics, provision of bus
lanes, bus stops and bus turn-outs, improving
p3rking facilities, replacing access from arterials
19
20
with side street access.
f. The city will support and encourage street
improvements such as planted medians and other
landscaping which would improve the appearance of
streets, bicycle paths and other right-of-ways.
2. In its mass transit development the city will focus on
the following service objectives:
a. Capture 15-20~ of commuter trips into the downtown
district by 1990.
b. Expand service schedules to include evening and
Sunday service.
c. Connect commuter buses with park "n" ride parking
lots.
d. Provide service to residents of smaller communities.
e. Provide free shuttle service within the Boise
downtown district.
f. Operate a centrally located terminal in the downtown
area where all elements of transportation come
together, including buses, shuttles, taxis, and
airport buses.
g. Provide convenient schedules and routes for large
employers as encouragement for greater support of
transit service.
h. Explore light rail systems using existing railroad
right-of-way as an additional resource for mass
transit.
3. Parking policies in the downtown area will be designed
to discourage employee commuter parking and encourage
shopper parking.
a. Temporary shortages of parking should be alleviated
by developing temporary (3-10 years) facilities in
vacant lots and by providing fringe parking with
shuttle service. Provisions could be made to lower
construction standards for such lots.
b. Long term parking needs should be satisfied by the
development of parking structures as indicated by
general market and economic conditions.
c. D~mand for parking should not be completely
satisfied by public facilities in order to provide
incentives for transit use, carpooling, and other
GOAL:
alternatives to commuter auto use.
4. The city will encourage (and require when there is an
opportunity) provision of bicycle and pedestrian
pathways whenever road improvements are undertaken or
new roads are constructed by either public or private
authorities.
a. Pedestrian walkways should be particularly
encouraged in the downtown district.
b. The canal right-of-ways should be investigated for
potential as bike path locations.
c. Bike paths will be designed to Class I standards
whenever possible.
5. To avoid unneeded congestion, downtown routes will be
designed to carry through traffic around the central
area.
a. The city will support a new river crossing between
the Fairview and Glenwood bridges with corridor and
design characteristics which minimize adverse
impacts to built neighborhoods.
b. Right-of-way and pavement width requirements should be
reviewed and reduced, where appropriate, particularly
within residential areas.
OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION
Opportunities for recreation, exercise, relaxation and
contact with nature will be provided for urban residents
through the use of land as open space.
1. The Boise River Greenbelt will continue as a major park
system priority providing for developed parks and
non-motorized recreation opportunities as well as
natural undeveloped river environment under public
ownership.
a. Righ density residential development will be
encouraged at the edge of the greenbelt where
appropriate.
b. Automobile traffic arterials will avoid the
greenbelt and its immediate edge.
c. Specific inducements and incentives will be provided
to landowners of potential greenbelt lands to
provide such land at reasonable cost to the public.
21
22
Such inducements will include density transfer
provisions in the land use regulations.
d. Cooperative efforts with Ada County and Garden city
to form a metropolitan or county-wide greenbelt
system should be undertaken.
e. The flood Plain of the Boise River will be regarded
as the land area most suited for greenbelt
acquisition.
f. Pedestrian and bicycle bridges across the Boise
River will be considered a desirable feature for
greenbelt development.
g. Greenbelt development~ of the city center and
~to Veteran's Park will be first priorities.
2. The provision of neighborhood, community and regional
parks under public ownership will continue as another
element of the park system.
a. Neighborhoods in the city limits with no parks (such
as east of Broadway and north of Boise Avenue) will
receive high priority for park acquisition and
development.
b. A major park should be planned for the southeast
area.
c. Future parks should be connected to the greenbelt
system with bike or pedestrian paths or other means
where feasible.
d. lnducements and incentives such as density transfers
will be provided to landowners in an effort to
obtain land for neighborhood and other parks.
j. New development, highway improvements and all changes of
land use will be considered as opportunities to:
a. Provide greenway, bicycle path or pedestrian access
to public parks and links between parks and
recreation areas.
b. Negotiate for thedcquisition of park sites.
c. Provide additional park and recreational open space
opportunities under private ownership and
management.
d. Arrange for the preservation and recreational uses
of sites with historic value to the city, region or
GOAL:
state (Oregon Trail, Old Penitentiary).
e. Provide for street beautification and tree planting.
INDUSTRIAL
The city will encourage industrial activity to locate in
industrial center locations in order to provide for
rational investment in special services and utilities,
to enhance opportunities for mass transit, to prevent
good industrial sites from being consumed by other uses,
and to protect environmental quality.
1. Industrial uses will be encouraged to locate in the
following general areas:
Airport Area - adjacent to the airport and south of
I-~0.
Bench Industrial Area - along Union Pacific spur at
Emerald -Curtis- Orchard.
Franklin Road/RR area west of I-~0 N connector.
Amity - Holcomb Road area.
Federal Way area east of Broadway.
~. In addition to federal and state air, water and
noise pollution standards, industry will be required
to conform to local performance and locational
standards. Among such standards will be included
the following:
a. Industrial traffic will not be permitted on
local residential streets.
b. When located next to residential areas, industry
will not be allowed to generage noise levels
higher than those of the residential area.
c. Bulk storage or production of toxic or explosive
substances will not be permitted near
residential areas.
d. Contamination of ground or surface water will
not be permitted.
e. Industries will not be permitted to locate
immediately adjacent to elementary and secondary
schools.
23
GOAL:
24
3. Certain industries with highly desireable
characteristics (non-polluting, stable, compatible
neighbor to residential development) will be
encouraged to locate in technological zones in
priority growth areas.
4. Non-conforming industries will be tolerated, but may
be subject to special requirements designed to
reduce or ameliorate adverse impacts on the
neighborhood at such time as they expand.
5. The extraction of sand and gravel in the
metropolitan area will be continued or undertaken
according to the following locational and
performance principles:
a. Existing gravel extraction operations should be
allowed to continue.
b. New extraction operations will be permitted in
the Boise River floodplain (see map).
c. Extraction operations should be located,
designed and buffered in order to reduce the
adverse impacts of noise and dust on any nearby
residential areas.
d. All sand and gravel extraction sites should be
required to have a program for extraction and a
rehabilitation plan.
e. The protection of wildlife habitats should be a
consideration in the location of future
extraction sites.
f. Gravel extraction along the Boise River should
be required to maintain the existing water
quality of the river.
g. Sand 3nd gravel extraction outside the
floodplain of the Boise River should be
permitted when extraction uses do not conflict
with adjacent land uses.
COMMERCIAL
The location of commerce and trade activities should
allow for the fullest range of activity demanded by the
community, be conducive to comparision shopping and have
excellent access.
1. Shopping centers shall be particularly encouraged.
(A shopping center is a group of commercial
GOAL:
establishments, planned, developed, owned and
managed as a unit related in location, size and type
of shops to the trade area that the unit serves; it
provides on-site parking in definite relation to the
type and size of stores).
2. Shopping center locations will be evaluated on the
basis of suitability of transportation access,
adequacy of the site for the size and type of
center, availability or potential for providing bus
service.
3. Location of neighborhood convenience commercial
activities will be encouraged on collector streets
rather than arterial streets. Additionally, their
location should facilitate access by pedestrians and
cyclists and be subject to appropriate performance
standards.
4. Offices will be encouraged to locate in the downtown
district, business parks, as part of shopping
centers, and near high-intensity activity areas.
5. Strip commercial development will be discouraged.
b. All(new and existing) commercial development,
whether part of a shopping center or otherwise,
should be assisted in efforts to consolidate access
points and reduce curb cuts, share parking and
improve internal circulation patterns.
1. Service commercial uses with characteristics similar
to industrial uses should be located in or near
industrial areas.
SCHOOLS
The city will maintain the concept of the neighborhood
school as an ideal. Schools should be located in order
to function as focal points for family and community
activity; their environs should not contain uses that
conflict with the purposes, safety requirements and
function of the school, or in any other way depreciate
community investments in school facilities.
1. New school sites will be approved as they conform to
the following principles:
a. Sites will be large enough to provide for future
expansion.
b. Sites which present hazards, nuisances, or other
25
GOAL:
26
limitations on the normal functioning of
the school will be avoided.
c. ~lementary schools will be located within
residential neighborhoods and will avoid
locating on arterial streets or collectors.
d. Schools will share sites with neighborhood parks
whenever possible.
e. Schools should not be located in any floodway.
f. Secondary schools should have direct access onto
an arterial or collector street.
g. School sites near canals and ditches will be
permitted only when safe access can be provided.
2. Where existing schools are already situated, the
introduction of land use changes which will cause
additional traffic, noise, or hazards to the school
environment or which will remove the students from
the school attendance area will be avoided.
3. New residential growth will be considered by the
city as opportunities to:
a. Provide and improve bicycle and pedestrian
access to schools.
b. Identify school and park sites ahead of
development.
c. Negotiate for school and park sites.
AVIATION FACILITIES
The Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field) will be operated,
developed and maintained to meet the growing needs of
Boise and the area it serves as a major aviation
facility in the national aviation system. Land use
controls will be adopted in Boise and in Ada County in
the Airport Impact Area. The Airport Master Plan and
its direction for development and land use controls will
be followed.
1. Land required for expansion and protection of the
Boise Air Terminal is identified for public
purchase.
2. Noise sensitive and hazard areas around the Boise
Air Terminal are identified for current and future
development and expansion. Land use regulations and
restrictions have been recommended in the Airport
Master Plan for Boise City and Ada County and are
aimed at preventing use coflicts which will result
in extraordinary costs and safety hazards in the
future.
3. Residential development will not be permitted in
specific areas identified in the Airport Master
Plan.
4. Review procedures for permits in the Airport impact
area include reviews by the Airport Commission and
Manager.
5. The City will promote industrial development in the
Airport impact area consistant with airport safety
requirements.
6. Existing uses within hazard or noise-sensitive areas
which may be found to be incompatible uses will not
be permitted to expand and will be given
encouragement to relocate or change to a compatible
use.
7. Boise City will be providing reliever airport
facilities as identified in the Master Plan.
FLOOD PLAIN
Boise has flooding potential from two general sources: the Boise
River and the several tributary creeks that flow through the city
from he foothills. Most floods on the Boise will be "regulated"
floods due to the control of the river by three dams upstream.
Flooding of tributary creeks is usually caused by heavy
cloudbursts or rapid spring run-off. These floods can be fast,
sudden and destructive.
GOAL: Land uses in the Boise River floodplain will be
carefully regulated in order to prevent costly property
damage and threats to life, preserve wildlife habitats,
enhance the Boise River greenbelt, and encourage open
space/recreation uses.
1. The 100 year floodway and that portion of the
floodway fringe 100 feet back from the floodway
should remain as a greenbelt, wildlife habitat, or
open space recreation area and function as the
carrying channel for flood waters.
27
28
2. No structural develoment, other than bridges or
roads, that will impede or alter the flow of
floodwaters should be permitted in the floodway or
within 100 feet of it in the floodway fringe. All
structures which are constructed must pass the
following tests:
a. Will not be moved or displaced by flood waters.
b. Will not cause increased flooding on surrounding
property.
c. Will not obstruct free movement of flood waters.
3. Existing dwellings or structures in the floodway
which are displaced by flood waters should not be
permitted to relocate in the floodway.
4. The principles below will be followed for all
development in the 100 year floodplain:
a. Bulk storage of toxic, explosive or flammable
material will not be permitted.
b. River crossings will be built to withstand the
flows and velocities of 100 year flood.
c. Schools, hospitals or other intermediate care
facilities will not be permitted without
conclusive demonstration that all flooding
hazards have been removed.
d. All development will be on wet line sewers.
e. All development will be floodproofed by means
other than levees.
5. Alterations of the floodplain for the purpose of
develoment may be permitted if the following
criteria are met:
a. The floodway is not altered to the extent that
surrounding property not originally in the
floodplain becomes susceptible to flooding.
b. Velocities within the floodplain are not
significantly increased to cause adverse effects
on site or to surrounding property.
c. All services, utilities and facilities that
cross the floodway fringe to reach the
development are adequately floodproofed and do
not obstruct flows.
d. Wildlife and critical environmental areas are
preserved.
e. Water quality is not adversely affected.
f. "Valley storage" areas in the setback area
should be maintained (puddle areas in the
floodway fringe which function as reservoirs for
flood waters).
b. A system of density transfer regulations should be
developed enabling owners to transfer density rights
from portions of their property within the floodway
and the 100 foot floodway fringe adjacent to it to
portions of their property outside this area. The
system should also permit owners to transfer density
rights to portions of their property entirely
outside the floodplain. In addition, the system
should provide for density compensation when land is
purchased by or dedicated to public agencies for
parkland, greenbelt or wildlife habitat protection.
7. Development designed to mitigate problems associated
with flooding and which complement the river
environment should be encouraged in the portion of
the floodway fringe designed for development.
SPECIAL POLICIES FOR TRIBUTARY CREEK FLOOD PLAINS
1. Gulch floodways shall not be altered in ways that cause
flooding of any other property, either up or downstream.
2. The gulch floodways should be used for open space.
3. Major transportation routes should take into consideration
the extreme hazards of gulch floodways and be located out of
these areas where feasible.
4. Setb~~k requirements and/or safety requirements should be
established along the periphery of gulch floodways to
protect structures from damage by lateral erosion.
5. Dams constructed within gulch flood hazard areas intended to
impede the flow of flood waters downstream should be
constructed and maintained under public supervision to
ensure the safety of residents potentially affected by flows
downstream.
b. Development should be allowed on the alluvial fans of the
gulch flood plains if adequately flood proofed; such
development should not alter the flow of water onto
surrounding property not originally designated as being in a
flood plain.
1. No bulk storage of toxic, flammable or explosive materials
should be permitted in floodplains.
29
Appendix A
IMPLEMENTATION AND ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
The t1etro Colilll1ttee discussed in great detail several problems of implementing
the plan they were proposing. The Planning Commission has reviewed the Commi­t£
·e's recommendations and considers them to be good guidance for the develop­ment
of zoning and other development regulations.
The main problems considered were: foothills regulations, floodplains, infill,
development of high priority areas, the airport, planned-unit development tech­niques,
mobile homes, shopping centers, industrial standards and residential
dens 1ti es.
Foothills
Aside from limitations on foothills density due to impacts on flat land neighbor­hoods,
there are constraints on the type of development which is feasible because
of geologic, slope erosion and other hazards. Thus, the following recommendations:
- that development be clustered, using flatter terrain (as slope increases,
density should decrease).
- that development designs avoid problems of drainage, erosion, siltation,
landslides, earthquakes, and help to preserve the natural terrain.
- that soil, geologic and hydrologic reports be required in order to faci­litate
sound site plans. Information should include location and charac­teristics
of faults, clay layers, landslides, soil creep, water saturated
sediments, hydro compactable materials, soils, bedrock and slope.
that revegetation plans be required in order to prevent erosion; and that
soils disturbance be minimized.
- that planned development techniques be used to help mitigate problems and
provide transfers from high slope to lower slope areas.
- that roads be designed to follow natural topography and have a minimum of
cuts and fills.
- that drainage plans reduce erosion and flood hazards.
- that both Ada County and Boise City adopt technical performance stanclards
for foothills development.
that administrative and other techniques br:: implemented whtch would p1•rmH lhe
monitoring of impacts of exi stf ng deve 1 opment on en vi ronmenta 1 qu~ 1 fty and pro­vide
for evaluation and adjustment of foothills development policies and densi­ties
accordingly. Monitoring should include traffic volumes at sensitive loca­tions,
water pressure, noise, changing land use patterns, sewer line capacity
and other factors. These techniques·and procedures should allow for local
government control of timing and size of development phases.
31
Page 2
Flood Plains
- that a system of density transfer be devised so that property owners in por­tions
of the floodway or other parts of the floodplain can be compensated
for not developing in the floodway or other flood hazard areas, wildlife
habitat or other environmentally sensitive areas.
- that all development in the floodplain be floodproofed.
- that developers prove that their projects will not create additional hazard
to other properties.
- that setbacks be established along the periphery of tributary gulch flood­ways
to prevent damage from lateral erosion.
- that all flow-impedence or other dams be constructed and maintained under
public supervision.
- that subdivision design not contribute to potential increases in flood
ve 1 ociti es.
that subdivision and road design on alluvial fans of tributary creeks
be integrated together to facilitate flood waters and reduce the flood­able
area if possible.
Inffll
- that modification of zoning and subdivision ordinances allow for development
of odd shaped and sized parcels of vacant land in urban service areas.
- that performance standards be included in the flexible regulations.
Priority Areas
- that the entire development and review process in high priority development
areas should be revised to encourage development and allow maximum flexibi­lity
within the limits defined by performance standards.
Airport
- that ordinances pertaining to noise and other influence areas be revised in
accordance with the Haster Airport Plan, to be adopted; these ordinances to
establish performance standards.
Planned Development
- that density incentives should be offered to developers willing to provide
amenities, open space, parks.
- that higher densities should adjoin open spaces and be convenient to major
streets.
- that direct access of residential lots onto arterial streets be avoided in
favor of internal streets, frontage roads or other techniques.
- that this technique be used for shopping centers, foothills, mobile homes,
and other high impact development and development in the 100 year flood­plain.
32
Mobile Homes
that minimum standards be set for mobile home parks and subdivisions.
- that parks and subdivisions be permitted in any residential area as long
as they are reviewed as a PUD with design control.
that expansion of mobile home parks be permitted with standards aimed at
making the developments more compatable with the surrounding community.
Shopping Centers
- should be guided by performance and design standards.
- that the size and acreage range for shopping centers be provided as guidance
in the ordinance.
- that shopping centers locate at intersections of arterials and/or collec­tors
and as part of PUD's when integrated into the original development
plan.
that the review process require consideration of the impact on neighbor­hoods
and impact on the city's plans for a regional center downtown.
- that a highway commercial zoning classification be developed which states
specific uses that may be developed in existing strip commercial areas.
- that new and existing commercial developments cooperate to consolidate ac­cess
points, on-site parking and internal vehicle circulation.
Industry
- that development be guided by performance and design standards which address
noise, air pollution, traffic, location, (away from homes, schools and near
arterial streets and services), storage of toxic materials and water quality
(surface and ground).
Residential Densities
Although most of these recommendations are included in the plan policy statements,
they are repeated here for convenience:
•
•
Southeast area: .. 4. 5 d/u per gross acre
-PUD's up to 7 d/u per acre except in high density corridor.
-14 d/u per acre adjacent to floodplain (upon review).
-5-14 d/u per acre north of Highland Street and east of
Broadway.
North River: -4.5 d/u per gross acre (outside hazard areas) .
-PUD's up to 7 d/u per gross area.
-14 units per gross acre adjacent to flood plain open space
corridor.
-Warm Springs and North End to be reinforced as predominantly
single-family residential areas
33
North River:
(Con t ~_c!,_)
• West Bench:
34
-Area between 36th Street and Collister Drive to be reinforced
as predominantly single-family residential areas.
-Area between Hill Road and State Street should provide for
residential densities of 4.5 units per gross acre.
-3.5 d/u per gross acre.
-4.5 d/u per gross acre for lands located north of
the First Bench to the Boise River, exclusive of the flood plain.
-Up to 14 d/u per acre adjacent to the flood plain open space
corridor (upon appropriate review.)
-Larger lots and set-backs should be encouraged on lots
abutting I-80.
Appendix B
~LOSSARY OF TERMS
f0Mt·1ERC IAL( SHCPP ING*
Shopaing Center: A group of commercial establishments, planned, developed
owne and managed as a unit related in location, size and type of shops to
the trade area that the unit serves; it provides on-site parking in definite
relationship to the type and size of stores.
Neighborhood Sho~pin7 Center: Major tenant is usually a supermarket. Pro­vides
for the sa eo food, drugs, sundries, personal services and day-to-day
living needs of the immediate neighborhood. Across the country,the size of
this type of center ranges between 30,000 to 100,000 sq. ft. of gross leas­able
area, has 4 to 10 acres, and serves from 5,000 to 40,000 people within
6 minutes driving time.
Community Shopeing Center: Major tenant is usually a minor department or
variety store 1n addition to a supermarket. Provides for convenience goods
plus soft lines (clothing) and some hard lines (hardware, appliances). The
size of this type of center can range between 100,000 to 300,000 sq. ft. of
gross leasable area. May have 10 to 30 acres, and can serve a trade area of
40,000 to 150,000 people.
Regional Shop~ing Center: Major tenant is one or more full line department
stores. Prov des complete comparision shopping in depth and variety of goods,
styles, colors, prices. Size can range between 300,000 to over 1 million sq.
ft. of gross leasable area; usually has over 30 acres. Usually needs a trade
area of 150,000 to 400,000 people or more.
Sho~ping District, Shoppinl Area & Shopping Street: Miscellaneous collections
of ndividual stores stand ng on thefr separate lot - parcels strung along
street frontages or clustered in a contiguous area - with or without inciden­tal
off-street parking.
Shopping r~all: The placement of stores along a pedestrian way or central open
space, generally in elongated form. t1alls are usually brought about by efforts
to separate foot traffic from automobile and service traffic. Malls may be
open or enclosed.
Strip Commercial: A long narrow zone of commercial development usually found
along major thoroughfares. Such development is found all over the United
States in both zoned and unzoned communities. The cause of such a pattern is
usually attributed to the wide spread availability of automobiles to consumers.
~'q_':',~e_V1_!€!1£(:_h.l!_t'\"1_e_t::!C_I~I.- - S-= P· 3 8'
*Host definitions in this section come from The Community Builders Handbook,
Urban Land Institute, 1968.
35
Service Commercial: A classification of commercial activities which are semi­industrial
fn character. Examples might include a trucking terminal, sheet
meta 1 shop, sa 1 e of heavy machinery.
DEVELOPMENT
Cluster Zoning: A form of zoning that allows a developer to reduce his minimum
lot size below the Zoning Ordinance requirements if the land thereby gained is
pr~served as permanent open space for the con~unity. Cluster zoning facilitates
continuous control of over-all dwelling density in an area and may result in
lower costs for streets and other utilities.
Density Transfer: A development technique common to planr,ed unit developments
in which certain lands are devoted to open space or other public uses and the
density is transferred to other portions of the project. For example, 1f a
zoning ordinance permits 4 units per acre and a developer wishes to dedicate
10 acr£s of a 20 acre parce 1 to parkland, the deve 1 oper may be permitted to
build 80 units on the remaining 10 acres.
Infill: The development of vacant land in areas where surrounding lands have
been developed and where streets, fire protection, sewer and other public ser­vices
are readily available or already provided.
Locational Standards: Regulations providing criteria for the relationship of
one land use to another. A requirement that a high school be located on an
arterial street is an example of a locational standard.
Mixed Use Developmen~: The coordinated development of three or more major uses
as part of one project- convention, performing arts and conference centers,
motels, hotels, specialty retail and high density residential.
lion-Conforming Uses: A building or use that is inconsonant with a district's
zoning regulations.
Performance Standard Zoninr Regulations providing genera 1 criteria for deter­mining
the acceptability o certain land uses, industries and buildings (as
distinguished from specification standards or detailed requirements). Perfor­mance
standards are usually written for noise, vibration, smoke, odor, dust,
dirt, glare, heat, fire hazards, noxious gases, waste, transportation, traffic,
aesthetics, density.
Planned Unit Development: A residential development in which the subdivision
and zoning regulations apply to the project as a whole rather than to its in­dividual
lots (as in most tract housing). Densities are calculated on a pro­ject
~Jide basis, permitting among other things, the clustering of houses and
provision of common open space.
Urban Services: Services such as central sewers, central water, professional
fire protection, and others, usually furnished to residents and activities of
to~ms and cities with population concentrations.
Urban s~rvi ce Pl annin' f,rea: According to the Ada County Comprehensive Plan
adopted in June of 19 7: Areas where municipal sewer facilities and most
other services and utilities are available or planned in officially adopted
p 1 ans.
36
-FLO-OD-S
Flood: An overflow of lands not normally covered by water and that are used
and useable by man. Two essential characteristics of floods are that the
inundation of land is temporary and that the land is adjacent to and inundated
by overflow from a river, stream, ocean, lake or other body of standing water.
Flood Plain: The relatively flat area or lowlands adjoining the channel of a
river or stream which has been or may be covered by flood water. The flood
plain includes the river channel, the floodway and the floodway fringe.
Floodway: That portion of the flood plain required to accommodate deep and
fast moving waters during time of flooding.
Floodway Frin~e: That portion of the flood plain extending from the floodway
to the edge o the flood plain. This area of the flood plain is characterized
by shallow, slow-moving or standing waters.
Flash Flood: A flood characterized by extremely fast-moving water with little
or no war~ing available. This form of flooding is typical of tributary creeks
to the Boise River. (Cottonwood, Crane, Hulls, Stuart, Etc.).
Regulated Flood: A flood that is usually controlled in some fashion upstream
by dams or storage ponds. These storage facilities can contain the entire
volume of flood water but will slow the movement of waters allowing some warn­ing
time.
GEOLOGY
Alluvial Fan: An assemblage of sediments marking the place where a stream moves
from a steep slope and fans out to a flatter gradient losing its capacity to
carry large amounts of sediments.
Erosion: A natural process whereby soil particles are carried away by the ac­tion
of wind or water.
Fault: A fracture in the earth or a zone of such fractures where movement has
displaced the sides of the fracture relative to one another.
STREETS
Functional Street Classification System: A part of transportation planning
procedures in which existing and proposed transportation routes are identified
by function and classification as "interstate," "principal arterial," "minor
arterial," "collector" or "local access" routes.
Principal Arterial: Serves main travel corridors between areas and across
the city; usually serves longer trip lengths and includes higher traffic
volume streets. Access is usually minimized. Serves as boundaries to neigh­borhoods.
Right-of-way widths usually 80ft. to 100 ft.
Minor Arterial: Includes medium traffic volume streets to and from arterials;
serves both local traffic and medium trip lengths. Serves as boundaries to
neighborhoods. Right-of-way widths usually 66 ft. to 80 ft.
37
Collector: Provides direct service to residential areas. Collects traffic
from local streets and distributes to higher classification. Usually spaced
no closer than l/2 mile. Right-of-way width usually 60 ft. to 66 ft.
Local Access Street: For local traffic movement and direct access to abutting
land. Enhance neighborhood. Right-of-way width usually 50 ft.
OTHER
Industrial Park: An area zoned and planned for varied industrial uses and de­veloped
and managed as a unit, usually with provision for common services for
the users. Special emphasis and attention are often given to aesthetics and
community compatability.
Mass Transit: The act or means of conveying masses of people from place to
place along a given right-of-way system; routes are usually pre-arranged and
service is operated according to prescribed scheduled.
Noise Sensitive Areas: An area where air craft noise will interfere with exist­ing
or planned use of the land. Whether noise interferes with a particular use
depends on the level of noise exposure and the type of activities which are in­volved.
Residential neighborhoods; education , health and religious structures
and sites, and outdoor recreational, cultural and historical sites may be noise
sensitive areas. Areas within "30 NEF" contour around the airport could be con­sidered
as a "noise sensitive area." The 30 NEF area is the area where the
"day-night" noise level is 65 decibels or higher.
Designated Landmark Buildings -According to Boise City Ordinance 3822, a
historical landmark is "any site ... building or structure of particular
historic or aesthetic significance to the city, the state or the nation.''
Examples may include architectural specimens which represent a period, style,
or method of construction; a notable work by a master architect; buildings
which reflect or exemplify cultural, .political, spiritual, economic, social
or artistic history of the city, state or nation. A procedure for designa­tion
of landmarks is described in the ordinance and includes study and re­commendation
by the Historic Preservation Commission, public hearing, the
meeting of criteria, and passage of an ordinance by the City Council.
Neighborhood - A local area whose residents are generally conscious of its
existence as an entity. In planning 1 iterature, a "neighborhood unit" is
a planned residential area organized on the princip that elementary school,
parks, playground, churches and shopping are within walking distance of each
residence. Heavy traffic is routed around the neighborhood, not through it.
(Clarence Arthui Perry, Regional Survey of New York and Its Environs. New
York 1929).
Convenience Commercial - Retail shop or shops which sell so-called "con­venience"
goods: foods, drugs and sundries for the day-to-day living needs
of the immediate neighborhood.
Class I Bike Path- A completely separated facility design for the exclusive
use_of bicycles. Con:licts at grade with other activities, such as pede­str1ans
and motor veh1cles, are kept to a minimum. This contrasts with
Class II and Class III Bike Lanes and Routes respectively. A Class II Lane
1s usu~lly developed ~i~hin the cross section of a roadway. A Class .III
R0ute 1s a shared fac1l1ty using low use vehicular streets specified by
<;; 'l"".
38
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Full-text

METRO PLAN ADDENDUM .
Policy B3b on page 13 reads:
Because of traffic and other impacts of foothills development
on the neighborhoods below, a limit to the amount of develop­ment
in any gulch will be established.
Proposed 1 i mi ts for each gulch are shown in the chart below:
1975 (Existing) Additional Units Units Expected
Pro(1osed 2000*
Crane Creek 758 814 488
Stuart 102 927 556
Pole Cat 128 418 251
Pierce Park 26 662 398
Seamans 5 158 95
Table Rock &
Cottonwood 351 550 330
Warm Springs 115 471 283
Hulls 553 650 390
TOTAL 2038 4,650 2,791
* Units expected by 2000 are 60% of the tota 1 proposed units.
by
Note: The number of persons per unit is projected at 3.1 persons per household.
A Policy Plan
for the
Boise Metropolitan Area
PRESENTED FOR A PUBLIC HEARING
on
June 29, 1978
Boise City Council Chambers
Boise City Hall
7:30p.m.
by
THE BOISE CITY COUNCIL
"The country about the Boise or Woody River is extolled by Captain Bonneville
as the most enchanting he has seen in the far west; presenting the mingled
grandeur and beauty of mountain and plain; of bright running stream and
vast grassy meadow waving to the breeze . 11
The Adventures of Captain Bonneville
by Washington Irving
PLANNING FOR BOISE
A PERSPECTIVE
Boise is experiencing two kinds of pressure as a result of its rapid growth rate.
One is the pressure to conserve the environmental and community qualities which
keep people here and which apparently are attracting new ones to migrate here.
The other pressure is to provide for the growth- provide homes, jobs, schools,
parks and sewers.
The citizens who have been involved in the discussion and preparation of this
plan have felt the pull of both of these pressures. The result is a plan which
proposes to accommodate growth with the least amount of compromise with existing
values.
THE ATKINSON REPORT - THE CITY'S FIRST PLAN
Boise's first Comprehensive Plan, prepared by Atkinson Associates, was adopted in
1964. The objectives of this plan were:
-TO FOSTER the development of sound, well-planned residential neighborhoods
which will maintain high value, be capable of reasonable city maintenance
and build the city's reputation as a desireable place in which to live.
- TO ENHANCE the functioning of the industries presently in the community and
encourage diversification of industry to broaden the city's economic base.
- TO PROMOTE the continued growth of the downtown business area as a regional
commercial and shopping center and to provide for neighborhood shopping at
locations convenient to the neighborhoods served.
- TO ASSIST in making the city administration an effective business operation
by advancing the efficient installation and operation of public facilities,
utilities, and service.
1
EVOLUTION OF THE PLAN
In succeeding years, the city refined several specialized plans which followed
the recommendations of the Atkinson Report. The Boise River Greenbelt Comprehen­sive
Design and Plan was adopted in August of 1968; the Bofse Central District
Urban Renewal Plan was adopted in September of 1968 and amended 1n 1971 , and the
Master Sewer Plan was adopted in February of 1973. Each of these steps marked
significant progress in carrying out the General Plan.
A major use of the General Plan has been (and will be) as the main reference for
development and change-of-zone applications. \~hen a proposal is made to the
Planning and Zoning Commission for a development, the first question which needs
to be resolved is whether the proposal is in compliance with the Plan. Although
good logic would dictate that development be in conformance with the Plao, such
conformance has also been made a requirement of Idaho State Law since 1975.
Since the General Plan map of 1964 was more specific than the narrative state­ment,
it became used almost exclusively as the city's official statement of its
Plan. Frequently rezone requests which appeared to be in conflict with the map,
but which seemed to be appropriate in every other way, would be approved in con­junction
with a parallel change in the Plan Map. This practice occasionally be­came
very complicated since the design of the original map was not made to faci­litate
identification of specific properties, but to be a general guide. Gradu­ally,
the Plan Map was beginning to look more and more like a zoning map.
NEED FOR A NEW PLAN
As the city moved from the slow-growing 60's into the fast-growing 70's, it be­came
clear that the assumptions and conditions of 1964 were no longer dependable
ones for planning the future in 1978: population growth may be more rapid than
anticipated, transportation issues are more complex because of air pollution and
fuel supply problems, preservation and conservation of resources and cultural
history seem ever more important as community values, technological change has
continued to affect industrial location, commercial retail and merchandizing
practices have been changing, and new styles in residential development have
been steadily gaining ground.
In addition, the state of the art of planning and land use regulation has been
changing. New techniques, devised and tested in other parts of the country, hold
some promise that Boise too can have more enlightened approaches to zoning re­gulations,
subdivision development and the regulation of such sensitive areas
as the foothills.
THE METRO COMf~ITTEE
On February 25, 1976, Mayor Eardley convened the Boise Metropolitan Plan Steering
Committee and enjoined the members to prepare a set of recommendations for a new
Comprehensive Plan for Boise which would "get a handle on the rapid growth which
has already become a problem in the Boise area." In order to provide continuity
with the citizen prepared Concept Plan, the citizen members of the commitee
2
can1e from the Citizens Advisory Committee which had produced it. Other members
of the Metro Committee included City Council members, representatives of groups
such as the flomebui lders and Chamber of Commerce, city department representatives,
Planning Commission members, and other interested citizens. The process, however,
was flexible; citizens interested in some issues more than others would attend
meetings selectively and make their input on the flood plain or foothills, the
proposed river crossing or some other subject.
The ~ietro Committee, as 1 t became known, discussed, debated, and compromised over
a wide variety of issues. They had briefings from staff planners of the Ada
Planning Jl.ssociation (formerly ACOG) and other technical advisors. They held
nine public information meetings in the various communities of the city. They
incorporated recommendations made by consultants concerning the city center.
Finally, in August of 1977, Chairman Eardley presented the Metro Committee's
work to the Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission and could say: "The
end result- what you have before you now to start working on - is truely a
citizens' plan. It's not the staff's plan, not my plan, not the city's plan,
but the citizens' plan".
THE METRO PLAN
The Metro Committee had considered several alternatives and settled on a plan
which they hoped would: *
"[Accommodate growth] in the most efficient manner possible from the stand­points
of service costs and the desired life style of the community. Al­though
future development must have some impacts on the existing community,
impacts should not be of a magnitude to endanger the integrity of whole
neighborhoods. The existing service systems must be maintained at an ade­quate
level of service and therefore system expansion must be weighed care­fully
against the need to maintain or upgrade existing facilities. Public
policy has a strong role to play in guiding development. Services and func­tional
investment, e.g., transportation, can be used to stimulate desired
development patterns. Development can and should be timed in terms of prior­ity
development areas."
In describing the hoped-for geographic pattern of development, the Committee said:
"The major themes which describe the metropolitan area's development pat­terns
are centrality and compactness. The city center area contains the
major employment center for the Metropolitan Area with approximately 50%
of all employment located there. It also should contain the major regional
retail center and serve as the cultural/entertainment center for the Metro­politan
Area and surrounding region.
The population center of the Hetropolitan Area should be encouraged to shift
from the west to the east, nearer the Central Business District. This should
be accomplished by encouraging development to occur to the east, mainly the
southeast area of Boise. The southeast should also receive high priority for
public funds which may be needed to establish incentives for development.
Public funds should also be used in areas where development has already oc­curred
(i.e. West Bench).
*From _Boise ~letropol itan Steering Committee Recommended Plan, page 1 •
3
Ultimately, of course, the current Metropolitan Area will completely develop.
The resulting pattern should be one of contiguous development and centrality.
The west should be developed at a relatively lower density than other newly
developing areas of the Metropolitan Area, i.e., at roughly the same density
it is now, around 3 to 4 dwellings per gross acre (equivalent to 10,000 sq.
ft. lots). The southeast would have a gross density of around 4.5 dwellings
per acre (equivalent to 6,000 sq. ft. lots). The last area to develop would
probably be the area between Five Mile Road and Cloverdale Road, north of
the freeway to Highway 20. The areas that presently need to be "infilled"
would have densities about the same as their surrounding areas unless infill­ing
at that density is not economically feasible. The higher density that
will occur should be located near the greenbelt primarily, as well as other
major open space areas, and in the downtown."
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
The Planning nnd Zoning Commission reviewed the Metro Plan and
concurred with practically all of the Metro Committee
recommendations. Tney noted that the Metro Committee had made
recommendations not only about planning policies, but also about
the type of provisions that ought to be included in a future
zoning ordinance. They asked that these be identified in a
separate paper, which is attached as an appendix. Although this
and other needs to edit and consolidate the Metro Committee
recommendations resulted in a shorter document for public review,
the Planning Commission is aware of and grateful to the many
citizens who gave so such time and energy in developing a plan
for Boise. ''The tough ground has been plowed for us, "remarked
the Commission chairman at one meeting.
rh• Commission also followed the recommendation of the Metro
Committee and staff thqt the city adopt what is known as a
poljcies plan "is a statement of the general intentions of the
city and thereby serves as a guide to day-to-day decision making
on the part of public officials, administrators and citizens. A
policies plan contains resonably detailed guiding principles but
not specific proposals .... Many of the kinds of policies that
would be included in a policies plan already exist in every
community. ThPy exist, however, in various places and forms.
The policies exist as explicit statements in comprehensive plans,
they are implied in plan maps and in the various "standards,"
they exist as "rules of thumb" in various public agencies, and
they are embondied in the guidelines that control the decisions
of various boards and commissions. Policies planning seeks to
bring these policies together, resolve conflicts between them,
and add new policies where appropriate."
Ihe Commission held a public hearing on March 14, 197~ and heard
testimony on various proposals in the plan. As a result of this
testimony, several adjustments were m~de in the text before the
document was transmitted to the City Council. In their letter to
the Council, the Commission noted several items that should be
attached to the Plan. These included a water element,
*From Franklin Bea1, Chapter 12, of Prfnci~les and Practices of Urban Planning,
International City Managers Association, 1 68.
4
implementation plans for historic preservation, neighborhoods,
downtown and other areas, an energy plan, and a parking plan for
downtown.
On May 15, 197tl the Commission transmitted its recommendations to
the Mayor and City Council "with our recommendations that it be
adopted and replace the existing Comprehensive Plan which was
adopted in 1965."
The City Council
The Council reviewed the plan and made some additional
adjustments to the policies which they now place before a public
hearing. These changes represent efforts to clarify portions of
the Plan which have caused some difficulties in understanding or
interpretation.
1. Density Targets. In the first drafts of the plan, the
intention to develop the southeast area at a certain level,
for example, was expressed in a policy which said that the
gross density of the area would be 4.5 units per acre. While
the intention has never been to demand a 4.5 unit per acre
density for every parcel in the southeast area, this
statement has caused confusion among many potential users and
interpreters of the plan. What was intended was that in
order to meet the goal of balancing growth in the southeast,
over 40,000 people should be encouraged to line in the
southeast area, and that if this was accomplished by the year
2000, the overall density would be 4.5 units per acre. Some
parcels would be at higher densities, some lower and some at
4 • 5 •
The City Council draft expresses the same intention by
declaring that the goal is to accommodate 37~ of our future
population projections, this percentage will amount to over
40,000 people. The new zoning ordinance will have to provide
zones which permit and even offer incentives for the kind of
development which will result in homes for 40,000 people.
2. Foothills Development, The Council has returned to the
recommendation of the Metro Committee concerning development
in the foothills. The Metro Committee recommended a
limitation to development in any given foothills gulch at
this time, with a provision that when and if such densities
were ever reached, a reassessment of the situation could be
made of the impacts of growth on the established
neighborhoods and the Plan adjusted accordingly.
3. Water. The Council is also placing before the hearing some
objectives concerning water facilities. These were
originally recommended by the Metro Committee.
THE PLANNING AREA
r···-·····: ~ .
' I I I
PLANNING AREAS
l. ~outtwn~t
2. North Hivt~l'
3. Wcstlknch
I
'I , ••••••••••••
1 .,c·~- i 5. Southwest
l••••••··~··•••••ooj•••••••
' . i
4. Central Hench
l: . :- /
I
t- j l I
. '·
I
·~,.
- -r , aawa a •••••• •••••.,.l!'~•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••a.aaaaaaall'llaaaaaaa
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• I
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The ~ietro Committee defined the planning area with the boundaries shown above
and identified five sub-areas which were looked at one by one as the Committee
considered the development patter·n for the city. The North River Area includes
the foothills, the Northwest Area, the downtown district, and the Warm Springs
area. The Southeast area includes the University area, South Boise, and that
area as yet undeveloped which is identified as a high priority for development.
The Southwest includes the Airport, industrial park areas, and the residential
suburban growth south of Interstate 80. These and other smaller areas were
targeted by the Hetro Colllllittee for specific recommendations.
As the Metro Committee deliberated, they actually enlarged the study area. They
considered "traffic basins" in the foothills beyond the terri tory shown above;
they incorporated the developing Airport 14aster Plan, which envisages purchase
of lands south of Lake Hazel Road and control of noise-sensitive areas. While
the Committee worked, Garden City annexed portions of the "North River Planning
Area."
The planning area map was therefore revised to reflect the Committee's work and
is attached to the back of this report.
6
OTHER BOUNDARIES
1 .
2.
Sewer Planning Area - The Metro Committee did not recommend that muncipal
sewer service be provided for the entire planning area. ThP. map below
shows the current sewer planning area for Boise City.
Area of Im~act- In compliance with Idaho State Law, the city has identified
an "Area o Impact" around the city, in whkh the course of development will
have a significant impact on Boise City and its plans and people. This area
has been recommended to the Board of Ada County Commissioners. Since the
areas identified by other cities in Ada County overlap some of this area,
it is expected that the boundaries presented here are subject to change.
7
POPULATION PROJECTIONS
GROWTH
The table below compares the Atkinson Associates 1963 projections of Boise's growth
with those made by llilbur Smith Associates and the Ada Planning Association staff.
The boundaries of the "Boise Metro Area" for both Atkinson and Wilbur Smith are ap­proximately
the same, but not identical.
1960 1970
Boise Ci t,l*
Atkinson 34,481
Census 34,481 74,990
City Estimate
Boise ~1etro
Atkinson 82,500 109,000
Census+ 107,392
Wilbur Smith
APA
Ada Countl
Atkinson 93,460 121,500
Census 93,460 112,230
W11 bur Smith**
APA
* Dependent upon city limits.
** Medium range projections.
+ U.S. ~ureau of Census
1975 1980 1985 2000
110,000
98,199
136,000
120,960
120,960 234,325
158,000
134,600
139,400 164,700 190,900 267,000
139,400 289,000
Atkinson projections were somewhat high for the short range and possibly low for
the longer range. The ~lilbur Smith projections are generally based on an assump­tion
of a 3.4% annual growth rate for several years followed by a gradual decline
in the rate to 1.8% per year. APA assumptions are based on a somewhat higher rate
of growth per year.
P. presumption for future planning is that a city's public policy may assist in lo­cating
new population so that public services may be extended at the lowest possi­ble
costs and in an orderly predictable manner.
8
EHPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS
The chart below shows assumptions and projections made concerning employment which
were used by the Netro Committee and their staff.
----·
Retail
Offi ce1 Finance
Industrial, Con-struction,
Whole-sale
1Transporta-tion
Government
Education
Socia 1, Recrea-tion
TOTAL
Ada County
1975* est .
14,769
15,972
13 ,297
10 ,439
4,034
1,396
59 ,987
Boise Hetro
2000
31,925
38,476
33,943
25,508
7,229
3,112
140,193
Ada County
2000
36,015
41,777
35,655
27,545
8,416
3,520
152,928
Source: APA
*Estimates currently undergoing revision; figures subject to change.
The Metro Committee felt that:
...• "the Metropolitan area should contain from 90 to 95 percent of the
County's employment. This employment would be clearly centralized and
concentrated in the city center (office, retail, finanacial, administra­tive,
governmental and medical), near the airport (industrial) and Boise
State University (education) .
.••• this policy would provide the primary locational criteria for land
use decision in the commercial and industrial areas •••• the primary
purpose of centralizing and concentrating employment is to develop the
most efficient transportation trip pattern."
The Planning Commission incorporated these ideas in the downtow~ commercia~
and industrial sections of the Plan.
9
BEFORE YOU READ TfUS PLAN •••
The policy plan presented in the next section is organized into a series of
major goal statP~ents with various objectives and policies listed beneath
each goal.
The first four goals and their sub-statements represent basic proposals for
the structuring of the city as it continues to grow: they describe the role
and character proposed for the city's center, how population growth should
be balanced around this center, how services will be provided to the metro­politan
area, and how amidst the growth, every effort will be made to pro­tect
and preserve the neighborhoods of citizens who already live here.
The remaining foals and their sub-statements speak to the future integration
of public serv ces, commercial and industrial activities, and transportation
network into the essential scheme described by the first four goals.
A city is, among other things, a place organized to maximize the potentials
for contact and communication desired by the citizens. To this end, the
city's transportation, land use and other planning goals must be closely in­tegrated.
The strategies employed for solving transportation or any other
special set of problems must be carefully scrutinized in order to identify
potentially unwanted "side effects."
Once adopted, the plan is expected to have several important uses. In the
first place, the city will be expected to evaluate the use and expenditure
of its revenues by referring to its goals and its plan.
Secondly, applications for development will be reviewed in the light of this
plan. The first question to be asked of a proposed project will be: Does
it comply with the goals and intentions of the plan?
Finally, the plan will be used by city government administrators at all
levels in developing implementation and day-to-day operation procedures.
Most noticeably, the plan must be implemented with land regulation ordin­ances
designed to carry out the intent and policies of the plan.
The policy plan, although organized in topical sections, attempts
to integrate municipal planning and development policy into a
coordinated approach. The Boise City Council invites and look$
forward to public review of and comment on this proposed policy
plan.
10
A POLICY PLAN fOR THE BOISE METROPOLITAN AREA
GOAL A - The Center
GOAL A: The City should be compact and developed in a contiguous
manner around its center. The downtown district should
be the site of diversified land uses, have good access
from all areas of the City, and have a 24 hour activity
atmosphere.
Al: A regional shopping center will be developed in the
downtown core area. An economic environment must be
created and maintained to retain downtown Boise as the
regional retail center.
a. The city will adopt policies in zoning, planning,
and public services intended to further the goal of
locating the first regional shopping center in
downtown Boise.
b. Preservation of historic buildings will be
incorporated in the design.
A2: The downtown district should continue as the government
and commercial office employment center of Boise.
a. Owners of structurally sound buildings will be
encouraged to renovate such buildings.
b. Development towards the completion of the State
Government Mall Plan will be encouraged.
A3: The downtown district should be a prime location for
high density residential development.
a. Residential development in the River Street and
Myrtle Street areas will be particularly encouraged.
b. Structurally sound but substandard houses in and
near the downtown district should be rehabilitated,
maintained, and used for housing or office
activities compatable with residential uses.
c. Density regulations for the downtown district will
aim to bouse 3~ of Metro area growth by the year
2,000.
A4: The city will encourage the continued expansion of the
Idaho State Museum and nearby cultural facilities at
their present sites.
I I
12
A5: A cultural/performing arts facility will be encouraged
to locate downtown.
A6: "Mixed Use" development will be encouraged. "Mixed Use"
refers to the coordinated development of three or more
major uses as part of one project - convention,
performing arts and conference centers, motels, hotels,
specialty retail, high density residential. Market
studies should further explore potential for mixed use
development.
GOAL B - Population Balance
This section of the Plan makes reference to "Density Regulations•
for various parts of the metropolitan area. The percentage
figures mentioned in these statements were derived by identifying
available vacant land, projecting area-wide population growth to
the year 2,000 and calculating the amount of development in each
area that will be necessary in order to provide for new
population within the planned service area. Please refer to page
in the introduction for further explanation and figures of
projected population.
GOAL B: Ideally, the downtown district should also be the
geographic center of the population, so that the best access to
the center is available to the largest number of people.
81: The city intends to stimulate development of the
Southeast portion of the city.
a. Encourage the improvement of access from the area
into the downtown district.
b. Provide sewer trunk lines along with development.
c. Extend coverage area of fire protection service.
d. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
37~ of Metro Area growth by the year 2,000. In
order to achieve this target, a range of densities
and variety in living styles will be encouraged.
e. High densities will be encouraged near the
Greenbelt, near parks, and in the vicinity of Boise
State University.
f. Encourage the construction of the fourth public high
school in this area.
g. Protect the floodplain as high quality park areas in
their natural state.
h. Commercial development will be encouraged to develop
in centers located at the junctions of arterials
and/or major collector streets.
i. Technological industry development will be
encouraged in the Amity, Holcomb Road, Federal Way
area.
k. Locational principles for the southeast corridor
should include:
1. Convenience to proposed high density residential
development.
2. Outside the floodplain except for river
crossings.
3. Not separating the high density residential
areas from the greenbelt/open space syst
B2: The city intends to slow down the rate of growth in the
West Bench area.
a. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
15~of Metro Area growth by the year 2000.
b. Require new development to pay for the construction
of new sewer trunks in accordance with financing
formula set forth by the Public Works Department and
approved by the City Council.
c. Land area between Five Mile and Cloverdale Roads
which is not yet serviced by sewer trunk lines shall
be placed in the lowest priority on the construction
schedule in order to promote growth elsewhere first.
d. City investments in this area will emphasize
upgrading, restoring, and redeveloping neighborhoods
with substandard service systems.
B3: The city will permit residential development in the
foothills.
a. Because of hazards peculiar to the foothills,
development will be regulated in order to protect
public investments and future property owners from
losses due to slides, floods and erosion.
b. Because of traffic and other impacts of foothills
development on the neighborhoods below, a limit to
the amount of development in any gulch will be
established. Density regulations will aim to
provide housing for b~ of Metro Area growth by the
year 2000.
The actual density which may be permitted (or
required) at any given site shall be determined at
the time a development application is submitted by
assessing the following factors:
The capability of the land as determined by
geological, hydrological and engineering studies.
The capability of sewer, fire and other service
systems.
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The degree of alteration to existing
neighborhoods required to accommodate adverse
impacts such as the impact of traffic volume from
proposed development.
Compliance with county-wide goals to protect deer
winter range habitat.
c. Planned development techniques will be designed to
facilitate density transfer opportunities, cluster
development, avoidance of environmental hazards,
soil conservation, and preservation of open space.
Phasing of development will be considered in order
to promote orderly contiguous development, and to
provide adequate opportunity for public review of
impacts of previous development.
d. A request for annexation to the city will be
required as a condition for using city services.
e. All foothills development will be on wet line
sewers.
B4: The City will encourage the development of the northwest
development area.
a. Portions of this area already on sewer will be
encouraged for infill development.
b. Those portions of the area not already on sewer will
be served with trunk lines in accordance with city
schedules and financing policy.
c. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
9J of Metro Area growth by the year 2000.
B5: The city will consider the Bogart Lane Area as a reserve
for urban expansion.
a. Land area between Gary Lane and Highway #55 which is
not yet serviced by sewer trunk lines shall be
placed in the lowest priority on the construction
schedule in order to promote growth elsewhere first.
b. Density regulations will aim to provide housing for
9~ of Metro Area growth by the year 2000.
Bo: Residential and other urban expansion of the city south
of the airport will be avoided. Any development shall
be in conformity with the airport master plan and
appropriately buffered and set back.
B7: Infilling (development of vacant developable enclaves
within the city) will be particulary encouraged.
a. Use of land for "infill" parcels should be
consistent with neighboring uses.
b. A "consistent" use, above, may include a similar use
at a higher intensity or density (ie - duplex in ~
predominantly single family dwelling area).
c. For parcels which are being developed with uses
which are more intensive than the surrounding
neighborhood, additional design or other standards
may be required in order to reduce adverse impacts.
d. Priority should be given to the use of public funds
for upgrading service systems in areas where
development is being inhibited by undersized trunks
and mains and fire protection deficiencies.
e. The city will establish a systematic method of
coordinating the development of public and quasi -
public institutions with general land use and
transportation planning. Such institutions may
include hospit~ls, universities and government
office complexes.
f. Vacant land adjacent to Federal Way between Capitol
Boulevard and the Broadway interchange should allow
for a compatible mixture of residential, commercial
and office uses.
Btl: Density regulations for the Central Bench will aim to
provide for 7J of Metro Area growth by the year 2,000.
B9: Density regulations for the Southwest Area will aim to
provide for 12~ of Metro Area growth by the year 2,000.
B10: Density regulations for the Warm Springs Area will aim
to provide for 2~ of Metro Area growth by the year
2,000.
GOAL C - Service
GOAL C: Public services will be provided and/or planned for the
Urban Service Planning Area at schedules which provide
for the lowest public cost of development and which
promote the city's goal of balancing population growth
around the downtown area.
Cl: All neighborhoods will be provided with adequate
municipal service and public utility systems designed
and maintained to provide for all normal and seasonal
peak demands.
C2: Central sewer service will be planned and provided for
the Urban Service Planning Area in accordance with the
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1913 Master Sewer Plan and as amended.
C3: After January 1, 1979, all new development at densities
requiring sewers within the Urban Service Planning Area
will be on wet line sewers. This policy will apply to
all preliminary and final plat approvals.
C4: Within the limits of funds available, sewer system
expenditures will be made to:
a. Up-grade systems in neighborhoods with deficiencies.
b. Provide incentives for development in the southeast
Boise development area.
c. Work with developers to serve land within the city
limits.
d. Where practical, to increase capacities when desired
land use changes include high density development.
e. Serve selected sites or areas for industrial
development.
C5: As an incentive to growth in priority areas, the city
will participate in trunk line extension costs in
accordance with financing formulae set forth by the
Public Works Department and approved by City Council.
C6: Provision of fire protection service will aim to
preserve a minimum of Class 3 service.
C7: Provision of central water facilities will be provided
in the Metro Area according to the following principles:
a. Expansion of central water facilities will follow
the development guidelines set forth in this plan.
b. Development which would reduce water pressure below
acceptable fire protection requirements will not be
allowed until pressure requirements can be met.
c. All new development will be served with central
water facilities.
d. Built areas not pressently served or under-served
with central w~ter facilities will receive high
priority for service.
e. Expansion of Boise Water Corporation's certificated
boundary to include land intended for development in
the Urban Service Planning Area will be supported.
GOAL D:
GOAL D - Urban Qyality
The City will promote and establish a physical framework
of development which encourages the development of form
and character of its districts, the preservation of its
neighborhoods, and the conservation of its historical
identity.
D1: The General Community Planning Areas, Policy Areas (see
Map) and other such planning areas as may be determined
will be considered as urban design entities. Plans and
implementation programs for these areas will aim to
reinforce the distinctive form, character, and identity
of each area. The following elements will be
particularly emphasized:
a. Conservation of established and familiar visual
elements in the city.
b. Preservation and adaptive reuse of designated
landmark buildings.
c. Planting, maintenance, and replacement of street
trees.
d. Public buildings and public spaces designed in
harmony with the predominant design theme of the
area.
e. The encouragement of art in public places.
f. Cooperative efforts to preserve the natural visual
character of the Boise Front, the Boise River and its
tributaries, the terrace slopes of the river
"benches", and the undeveloped edges of the city
adjacent to farmland or desert.
g. Underground installation of utilities.
h. Signage and lighting with appropriate relationship to
place and purpose. Advertising signs which are
targeted to public parks or the Greenbelt or which
intrude in established vistas and overlooks will be
prohibited.
i. Cooperative efforts to enhance the streetscape and
design of structures adjacent to Capitol Boulevard as
the principal symbolic entrance to the State Capitol
and the central area of the capitol city.
D2: The city will work in cooperation with the State and
County and other governmental entities to preserve and
enhance its natural environment and to mitigate the
impact of urbanization on the surrounding area.
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l8
a. Water quality programs regarding the collection and
treatment of sewage and surface run-off will
continue to be implemented and improved.
b. The city will seek attainment of air quality in
conformance with the applicable national and state
standards.
c. Arrangements for the efficient collection and
proper disposal of solid waste will be continued as
a service responsibility of the city.
D3: The neighborhoods of the city will be protected from the
loss of residential quality arising from the impacts of
physical blight, traffic, intrusion of incompatable
uses, adjacent development, and inadequate service
systems.
a. In blight threatened neighborhoods, rehabilitation
of run-down homes will be encouraged rather than the
destruction of housing.
b. Arterial streets will be developed at the edges of
neighborhoods rather than through them. Collector
streets will be planned to avoid penetration of
neighborhoods to the greatest extent possible. All
streets will be designed to standards intended to
preserve residential quality.
c. The redesignation of local neighborhood streets to
arterial or collector status will be avoided where
possible. New development ouside an immediate
neighborhood requiring the redesignation of a local
neighborhood street will not be approved without
full consideration of the local impact.
04: The City will establish and maintain a plan and
comprehensive program of historic preservation intended
to conserve its historic identity as a major economic,
educational, cultural and social resource.
a. Historic landmarks, properties and districts will be
considered as integral elements in the urban design
and planning processes of the city. The City will
encourage preservation and rehabilitation programs
for the conservation and improvement of historic
sites and buildings.
b. The City will identify its historic sites and
buildings and promote public awareness of their
value and meaning.
c. The City will cooperate with national and state
agencies and local associations for historic
preservation in the development and implementation
of the City historic preservation plan and program.
TRANSPORTATION
Since the downtown is intended to be the major focus of
population and activity, the transportation system should be
designed to serve that focus.
GOAL:
1 •
The transportation system should promote ease of access
to the downtown area from all portions of the
metropolitan area, should facilitate the development of
mass transit and other mode alternatives, and should
provide for reduced fuel consumption, air pollution and
noise.
Each population concentration around the Metro area
should have low travel time access to downtown Boise.
a. Efficient arterials and connectors providing for
auto, transit, and bicycle travel should connect
activity and population centers with downtown and
with each other.
b. Where an "-terial is not a practical or desireable
solution for providing access because of the
disturbance to existing established neighborhoods, a
combination of policies will be applied - such as:
limiting growth or reducing densities, directing
traffic through a network of streets rather than on
arterials, tolerance of lower service levels on the
existing network of streets, selective closure of
streets or intersections, priority emphasis on
transit and carpooling.
c. Street alterations which will substantially change
the existing residential character of the streets
will be avoided.
d, Priority for new arterial development will be for
the southeast area.
e. Where currently functioning arterials are
inefficient due to the use of the street as a
shopping street, all applications for land use
changes shall be regarded as opportunities for
improving efficiency of the arterial for
through-traffic. Examples: reducing opportunity
for traffic turn conflicts, reducing number of
access points, approval of uses which have low
traffic attraction characteristics, provision of bus
lanes, bus stops and bus turn-outs, improving
p3rking facilities, replacing access from arterials
19
20
with side street access.
f. The city will support and encourage street
improvements such as planted medians and other
landscaping which would improve the appearance of
streets, bicycle paths and other right-of-ways.
2. In its mass transit development the city will focus on
the following service objectives:
a. Capture 15-20~ of commuter trips into the downtown
district by 1990.
b. Expand service schedules to include evening and
Sunday service.
c. Connect commuter buses with park "n" ride parking
lots.
d. Provide service to residents of smaller communities.
e. Provide free shuttle service within the Boise
downtown district.
f. Operate a centrally located terminal in the downtown
area where all elements of transportation come
together, including buses, shuttles, taxis, and
airport buses.
g. Provide convenient schedules and routes for large
employers as encouragement for greater support of
transit service.
h. Explore light rail systems using existing railroad
right-of-way as an additional resource for mass
transit.
3. Parking policies in the downtown area will be designed
to discourage employee commuter parking and encourage
shopper parking.
a. Temporary shortages of parking should be alleviated
by developing temporary (3-10 years) facilities in
vacant lots and by providing fringe parking with
shuttle service. Provisions could be made to lower
construction standards for such lots.
b. Long term parking needs should be satisfied by the
development of parking structures as indicated by
general market and economic conditions.
c. D~mand for parking should not be completely
satisfied by public facilities in order to provide
incentives for transit use, carpooling, and other
GOAL:
alternatives to commuter auto use.
4. The city will encourage (and require when there is an
opportunity) provision of bicycle and pedestrian
pathways whenever road improvements are undertaken or
new roads are constructed by either public or private
authorities.
a. Pedestrian walkways should be particularly
encouraged in the downtown district.
b. The canal right-of-ways should be investigated for
potential as bike path locations.
c. Bike paths will be designed to Class I standards
whenever possible.
5. To avoid unneeded congestion, downtown routes will be
designed to carry through traffic around the central
area.
a. The city will support a new river crossing between
the Fairview and Glenwood bridges with corridor and
design characteristics which minimize adverse
impacts to built neighborhoods.
b. Right-of-way and pavement width requirements should be
reviewed and reduced, where appropriate, particularly
within residential areas.
OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION
Opportunities for recreation, exercise, relaxation and
contact with nature will be provided for urban residents
through the use of land as open space.
1. The Boise River Greenbelt will continue as a major park
system priority providing for developed parks and
non-motorized recreation opportunities as well as
natural undeveloped river environment under public
ownership.
a. Righ density residential development will be
encouraged at the edge of the greenbelt where
appropriate.
b. Automobile traffic arterials will avoid the
greenbelt and its immediate edge.
c. Specific inducements and incentives will be provided
to landowners of potential greenbelt lands to
provide such land at reasonable cost to the public.
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22
Such inducements will include density transfer
provisions in the land use regulations.
d. Cooperative efforts with Ada County and Garden city
to form a metropolitan or county-wide greenbelt
system should be undertaken.
e. The flood Plain of the Boise River will be regarded
as the land area most suited for greenbelt
acquisition.
f. Pedestrian and bicycle bridges across the Boise
River will be considered a desirable feature for
greenbelt development.
g. Greenbelt development~ of the city center and
~to Veteran's Park will be first priorities.
2. The provision of neighborhood, community and regional
parks under public ownership will continue as another
element of the park system.
a. Neighborhoods in the city limits with no parks (such
as east of Broadway and north of Boise Avenue) will
receive high priority for park acquisition and
development.
b. A major park should be planned for the southeast
area.
c. Future parks should be connected to the greenbelt
system with bike or pedestrian paths or other means
where feasible.
d. lnducements and incentives such as density transfers
will be provided to landowners in an effort to
obtain land for neighborhood and other parks.
j. New development, highway improvements and all changes of
land use will be considered as opportunities to:
a. Provide greenway, bicycle path or pedestrian access
to public parks and links between parks and
recreation areas.
b. Negotiate for thedcquisition of park sites.
c. Provide additional park and recreational open space
opportunities under private ownership and
management.
d. Arrange for the preservation and recreational uses
of sites with historic value to the city, region or
GOAL:
state (Oregon Trail, Old Penitentiary).
e. Provide for street beautification and tree planting.
INDUSTRIAL
The city will encourage industrial activity to locate in
industrial center locations in order to provide for
rational investment in special services and utilities,
to enhance opportunities for mass transit, to prevent
good industrial sites from being consumed by other uses,
and to protect environmental quality.
1. Industrial uses will be encouraged to locate in the
following general areas:
Airport Area - adjacent to the airport and south of
I-~0.
Bench Industrial Area - along Union Pacific spur at
Emerald -Curtis- Orchard.
Franklin Road/RR area west of I-~0 N connector.
Amity - Holcomb Road area.
Federal Way area east of Broadway.
~. In addition to federal and state air, water and
noise pollution standards, industry will be required
to conform to local performance and locational
standards. Among such standards will be included
the following:
a. Industrial traffic will not be permitted on
local residential streets.
b. When located next to residential areas, industry
will not be allowed to generage noise levels
higher than those of the residential area.
c. Bulk storage or production of toxic or explosive
substances will not be permitted near
residential areas.
d. Contamination of ground or surface water will
not be permitted.
e. Industries will not be permitted to locate
immediately adjacent to elementary and secondary
schools.
23
GOAL:
24
3. Certain industries with highly desireable
characteristics (non-polluting, stable, compatible
neighbor to residential development) will be
encouraged to locate in technological zones in
priority growth areas.
4. Non-conforming industries will be tolerated, but may
be subject to special requirements designed to
reduce or ameliorate adverse impacts on the
neighborhood at such time as they expand.
5. The extraction of sand and gravel in the
metropolitan area will be continued or undertaken
according to the following locational and
performance principles:
a. Existing gravel extraction operations should be
allowed to continue.
b. New extraction operations will be permitted in
the Boise River floodplain (see map).
c. Extraction operations should be located,
designed and buffered in order to reduce the
adverse impacts of noise and dust on any nearby
residential areas.
d. All sand and gravel extraction sites should be
required to have a program for extraction and a
rehabilitation plan.
e. The protection of wildlife habitats should be a
consideration in the location of future
extraction sites.
f. Gravel extraction along the Boise River should
be required to maintain the existing water
quality of the river.
g. Sand 3nd gravel extraction outside the
floodplain of the Boise River should be
permitted when extraction uses do not conflict
with adjacent land uses.
COMMERCIAL
The location of commerce and trade activities should
allow for the fullest range of activity demanded by the
community, be conducive to comparision shopping and have
excellent access.
1. Shopping centers shall be particularly encouraged.
(A shopping center is a group of commercial
GOAL:
establishments, planned, developed, owned and
managed as a unit related in location, size and type
of shops to the trade area that the unit serves; it
provides on-site parking in definite relation to the
type and size of stores).
2. Shopping center locations will be evaluated on the
basis of suitability of transportation access,
adequacy of the site for the size and type of
center, availability or potential for providing bus
service.
3. Location of neighborhood convenience commercial
activities will be encouraged on collector streets
rather than arterial streets. Additionally, their
location should facilitate access by pedestrians and
cyclists and be subject to appropriate performance
standards.
4. Offices will be encouraged to locate in the downtown
district, business parks, as part of shopping
centers, and near high-intensity activity areas.
5. Strip commercial development will be discouraged.
b. All(new and existing) commercial development,
whether part of a shopping center or otherwise,
should be assisted in efforts to consolidate access
points and reduce curb cuts, share parking and
improve internal circulation patterns.
1. Service commercial uses with characteristics similar
to industrial uses should be located in or near
industrial areas.
SCHOOLS
The city will maintain the concept of the neighborhood
school as an ideal. Schools should be located in order
to function as focal points for family and community
activity; their environs should not contain uses that
conflict with the purposes, safety requirements and
function of the school, or in any other way depreciate
community investments in school facilities.
1. New school sites will be approved as they conform to
the following principles:
a. Sites will be large enough to provide for future
expansion.
b. Sites which present hazards, nuisances, or other
25
GOAL:
26
limitations on the normal functioning of
the school will be avoided.
c. ~lementary schools will be located within
residential neighborhoods and will avoid
locating on arterial streets or collectors.
d. Schools will share sites with neighborhood parks
whenever possible.
e. Schools should not be located in any floodway.
f. Secondary schools should have direct access onto
an arterial or collector street.
g. School sites near canals and ditches will be
permitted only when safe access can be provided.
2. Where existing schools are already situated, the
introduction of land use changes which will cause
additional traffic, noise, or hazards to the school
environment or which will remove the students from
the school attendance area will be avoided.
3. New residential growth will be considered by the
city as opportunities to:
a. Provide and improve bicycle and pedestrian
access to schools.
b. Identify school and park sites ahead of
development.
c. Negotiate for school and park sites.
AVIATION FACILITIES
The Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field) will be operated,
developed and maintained to meet the growing needs of
Boise and the area it serves as a major aviation
facility in the national aviation system. Land use
controls will be adopted in Boise and in Ada County in
the Airport Impact Area. The Airport Master Plan and
its direction for development and land use controls will
be followed.
1. Land required for expansion and protection of the
Boise Air Terminal is identified for public
purchase.
2. Noise sensitive and hazard areas around the Boise
Air Terminal are identified for current and future
development and expansion. Land use regulations and
restrictions have been recommended in the Airport
Master Plan for Boise City and Ada County and are
aimed at preventing use coflicts which will result
in extraordinary costs and safety hazards in the
future.
3. Residential development will not be permitted in
specific areas identified in the Airport Master
Plan.
4. Review procedures for permits in the Airport impact
area include reviews by the Airport Commission and
Manager.
5. The City will promote industrial development in the
Airport impact area consistant with airport safety
requirements.
6. Existing uses within hazard or noise-sensitive areas
which may be found to be incompatible uses will not
be permitted to expand and will be given
encouragement to relocate or change to a compatible
use.
7. Boise City will be providing reliever airport
facilities as identified in the Master Plan.
FLOOD PLAIN
Boise has flooding potential from two general sources: the Boise
River and the several tributary creeks that flow through the city
from he foothills. Most floods on the Boise will be "regulated"
floods due to the control of the river by three dams upstream.
Flooding of tributary creeks is usually caused by heavy
cloudbursts or rapid spring run-off. These floods can be fast,
sudden and destructive.
GOAL: Land uses in the Boise River floodplain will be
carefully regulated in order to prevent costly property
damage and threats to life, preserve wildlife habitats,
enhance the Boise River greenbelt, and encourage open
space/recreation uses.
1. The 100 year floodway and that portion of the
floodway fringe 100 feet back from the floodway
should remain as a greenbelt, wildlife habitat, or
open space recreation area and function as the
carrying channel for flood waters.
27
28
2. No structural develoment, other than bridges or
roads, that will impede or alter the flow of
floodwaters should be permitted in the floodway or
within 100 feet of it in the floodway fringe. All
structures which are constructed must pass the
following tests:
a. Will not be moved or displaced by flood waters.
b. Will not cause increased flooding on surrounding
property.
c. Will not obstruct free movement of flood waters.
3. Existing dwellings or structures in the floodway
which are displaced by flood waters should not be
permitted to relocate in the floodway.
4. The principles below will be followed for all
development in the 100 year floodplain:
a. Bulk storage of toxic, explosive or flammable
material will not be permitted.
b. River crossings will be built to withstand the
flows and velocities of 100 year flood.
c. Schools, hospitals or other intermediate care
facilities will not be permitted without
conclusive demonstration that all flooding
hazards have been removed.
d. All development will be on wet line sewers.
e. All development will be floodproofed by means
other than levees.
5. Alterations of the floodplain for the purpose of
develoment may be permitted if the following
criteria are met:
a. The floodway is not altered to the extent that
surrounding property not originally in the
floodplain becomes susceptible to flooding.
b. Velocities within the floodplain are not
significantly increased to cause adverse effects
on site or to surrounding property.
c. All services, utilities and facilities that
cross the floodway fringe to reach the
development are adequately floodproofed and do
not obstruct flows.
d. Wildlife and critical environmental areas are
preserved.
e. Water quality is not adversely affected.
f. "Valley storage" areas in the setback area
should be maintained (puddle areas in the
floodway fringe which function as reservoirs for
flood waters).
b. A system of density transfer regulations should be
developed enabling owners to transfer density rights
from portions of their property within the floodway
and the 100 foot floodway fringe adjacent to it to
portions of their property outside this area. The
system should also permit owners to transfer density
rights to portions of their property entirely
outside the floodplain. In addition, the system
should provide for density compensation when land is
purchased by or dedicated to public agencies for
parkland, greenbelt or wildlife habitat protection.
7. Development designed to mitigate problems associated
with flooding and which complement the river
environment should be encouraged in the portion of
the floodway fringe designed for development.
SPECIAL POLICIES FOR TRIBUTARY CREEK FLOOD PLAINS
1. Gulch floodways shall not be altered in ways that cause
flooding of any other property, either up or downstream.
2. The gulch floodways should be used for open space.
3. Major transportation routes should take into consideration
the extreme hazards of gulch floodways and be located out of
these areas where feasible.
4. Setb~~k requirements and/or safety requirements should be
established along the periphery of gulch floodways to
protect structures from damage by lateral erosion.
5. Dams constructed within gulch flood hazard areas intended to
impede the flow of flood waters downstream should be
constructed and maintained under public supervision to
ensure the safety of residents potentially affected by flows
downstream.
b. Development should be allowed on the alluvial fans of the
gulch flood plains if adequately flood proofed; such
development should not alter the flow of water onto
surrounding property not originally designated as being in a
flood plain.
1. No bulk storage of toxic, flammable or explosive materials
should be permitted in floodplains.
29
Appendix A
IMPLEMENTATION AND ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
The t1etro Colilll1ttee discussed in great detail several problems of implementing
the plan they were proposing. The Planning Commission has reviewed the Commi­t£
·e's recommendations and considers them to be good guidance for the develop­ment
of zoning and other development regulations.
The main problems considered were: foothills regulations, floodplains, infill,
development of high priority areas, the airport, planned-unit development tech­niques,
mobile homes, shopping centers, industrial standards and residential
dens 1ti es.
Foothills
Aside from limitations on foothills density due to impacts on flat land neighbor­hoods,
there are constraints on the type of development which is feasible because
of geologic, slope erosion and other hazards. Thus, the following recommendations:
- that development be clustered, using flatter terrain (as slope increases,
density should decrease).
- that development designs avoid problems of drainage, erosion, siltation,
landslides, earthquakes, and help to preserve the natural terrain.
- that soil, geologic and hydrologic reports be required in order to faci­litate
sound site plans. Information should include location and charac­teristics
of faults, clay layers, landslides, soil creep, water saturated
sediments, hydro compactable materials, soils, bedrock and slope.
that revegetation plans be required in order to prevent erosion; and that
soils disturbance be minimized.
- that planned development techniques be used to help mitigate problems and
provide transfers from high slope to lower slope areas.
- that roads be designed to follow natural topography and have a minimum of
cuts and fills.
- that drainage plans reduce erosion and flood hazards.
- that both Ada County and Boise City adopt technical performance stanclards
for foothills development.
that administrative and other techniques br:: implemented whtch would p1•rmH lhe
monitoring of impacts of exi stf ng deve 1 opment on en vi ronmenta 1 qu~ 1 fty and pro­vide
for evaluation and adjustment of foothills development policies and densi­ties
accordingly. Monitoring should include traffic volumes at sensitive loca­tions,
water pressure, noise, changing land use patterns, sewer line capacity
and other factors. These techniques·and procedures should allow for local
government control of timing and size of development phases.
31
Page 2
Flood Plains
- that a system of density transfer be devised so that property owners in por­tions
of the floodway or other parts of the floodplain can be compensated
for not developing in the floodway or other flood hazard areas, wildlife
habitat or other environmentally sensitive areas.
- that all development in the floodplain be floodproofed.
- that developers prove that their projects will not create additional hazard
to other properties.
- that setbacks be established along the periphery of tributary gulch flood­ways
to prevent damage from lateral erosion.
- that all flow-impedence or other dams be constructed and maintained under
public supervision.
- that subdivision design not contribute to potential increases in flood
ve 1 ociti es.
that subdivision and road design on alluvial fans of tributary creeks
be integrated together to facilitate flood waters and reduce the flood­able
area if possible.
Inffll
- that modification of zoning and subdivision ordinances allow for development
of odd shaped and sized parcels of vacant land in urban service areas.
- that performance standards be included in the flexible regulations.
Priority Areas
- that the entire development and review process in high priority development
areas should be revised to encourage development and allow maximum flexibi­lity
within the limits defined by performance standards.
Airport
- that ordinances pertaining to noise and other influence areas be revised in
accordance with the Haster Airport Plan, to be adopted; these ordinances to
establish performance standards.
Planned Development
- that density incentives should be offered to developers willing to provide
amenities, open space, parks.
- that higher densities should adjoin open spaces and be convenient to major
streets.
- that direct access of residential lots onto arterial streets be avoided in
favor of internal streets, frontage roads or other techniques.
- that this technique be used for shopping centers, foothills, mobile homes,
and other high impact development and development in the 100 year flood­plain.
32
Mobile Homes
that minimum standards be set for mobile home parks and subdivisions.
- that parks and subdivisions be permitted in any residential area as long
as they are reviewed as a PUD with design control.
that expansion of mobile home parks be permitted with standards aimed at
making the developments more compatable with the surrounding community.
Shopping Centers
- should be guided by performance and design standards.
- that the size and acreage range for shopping centers be provided as guidance
in the ordinance.
- that shopping centers locate at intersections of arterials and/or collec­tors
and as part of PUD's when integrated into the original development
plan.
that the review process require consideration of the impact on neighbor­hoods
and impact on the city's plans for a regional center downtown.
- that a highway commercial zoning classification be developed which states
specific uses that may be developed in existing strip commercial areas.
- that new and existing commercial developments cooperate to consolidate ac­cess
points, on-site parking and internal vehicle circulation.
Industry
- that development be guided by performance and design standards which address
noise, air pollution, traffic, location, (away from homes, schools and near
arterial streets and services), storage of toxic materials and water quality
(surface and ground).
Residential Densities
Although most of these recommendations are included in the plan policy statements,
they are repeated here for convenience:
•
•
Southeast area: .. 4. 5 d/u per gross acre
-PUD's up to 7 d/u per acre except in high density corridor.
-14 d/u per acre adjacent to floodplain (upon review).
-5-14 d/u per acre north of Highland Street and east of
Broadway.
North River: -4.5 d/u per gross acre (outside hazard areas) .
-PUD's up to 7 d/u per gross area.
-14 units per gross acre adjacent to flood plain open space
corridor.
-Warm Springs and North End to be reinforced as predominantly
single-family residential areas
33
North River:
(Con t ~_c!,_)
• West Bench:
34
-Area between 36th Street and Collister Drive to be reinforced
as predominantly single-family residential areas.
-Area between Hill Road and State Street should provide for
residential densities of 4.5 units per gross acre.
-3.5 d/u per gross acre.
-4.5 d/u per gross acre for lands located north of
the First Bench to the Boise River, exclusive of the flood plain.
-Up to 14 d/u per acre adjacent to the flood plain open space
corridor (upon appropriate review.)
-Larger lots and set-backs should be encouraged on lots
abutting I-80.
Appendix B
~LOSSARY OF TERMS
f0Mt·1ERC IAL( SHCPP ING*
Shopaing Center: A group of commercial establishments, planned, developed
owne and managed as a unit related in location, size and type of shops to
the trade area that the unit serves; it provides on-site parking in definite
relationship to the type and size of stores.
Neighborhood Sho~pin7 Center: Major tenant is usually a supermarket. Pro­vides
for the sa eo food, drugs, sundries, personal services and day-to-day
living needs of the immediate neighborhood. Across the country,the size of
this type of center ranges between 30,000 to 100,000 sq. ft. of gross leas­able
area, has 4 to 10 acres, and serves from 5,000 to 40,000 people within
6 minutes driving time.
Community Shopeing Center: Major tenant is usually a minor department or
variety store 1n addition to a supermarket. Provides for convenience goods
plus soft lines (clothing) and some hard lines (hardware, appliances). The
size of this type of center can range between 100,000 to 300,000 sq. ft. of
gross leasable area. May have 10 to 30 acres, and can serve a trade area of
40,000 to 150,000 people.
Regional Shop~ing Center: Major tenant is one or more full line department
stores. Prov des complete comparision shopping in depth and variety of goods,
styles, colors, prices. Size can range between 300,000 to over 1 million sq.
ft. of gross leasable area; usually has over 30 acres. Usually needs a trade
area of 150,000 to 400,000 people or more.
Sho~ping District, Shoppinl Area & Shopping Street: Miscellaneous collections
of ndividual stores stand ng on thefr separate lot - parcels strung along
street frontages or clustered in a contiguous area - with or without inciden­tal
off-street parking.
Shopping r~all: The placement of stores along a pedestrian way or central open
space, generally in elongated form. t1alls are usually brought about by efforts
to separate foot traffic from automobile and service traffic. Malls may be
open or enclosed.
Strip Commercial: A long narrow zone of commercial development usually found
along major thoroughfares. Such development is found all over the United
States in both zoned and unzoned communities. The cause of such a pattern is
usually attributed to the wide spread availability of automobiles to consumers.
~'q_':',~e_V1_!€!1£(:_h.l!_t'\"1_e_t::!C_I~I.- - S-= P· 3 8'
*Host definitions in this section come from The Community Builders Handbook,
Urban Land Institute, 1968.
35
Service Commercial: A classification of commercial activities which are semi­industrial
fn character. Examples might include a trucking terminal, sheet
meta 1 shop, sa 1 e of heavy machinery.
DEVELOPMENT
Cluster Zoning: A form of zoning that allows a developer to reduce his minimum
lot size below the Zoning Ordinance requirements if the land thereby gained is
pr~served as permanent open space for the con~unity. Cluster zoning facilitates
continuous control of over-all dwelling density in an area and may result in
lower costs for streets and other utilities.
Density Transfer: A development technique common to planr,ed unit developments
in which certain lands are devoted to open space or other public uses and the
density is transferred to other portions of the project. For example, 1f a
zoning ordinance permits 4 units per acre and a developer wishes to dedicate
10 acr£s of a 20 acre parce 1 to parkland, the deve 1 oper may be permitted to
build 80 units on the remaining 10 acres.
Infill: The development of vacant land in areas where surrounding lands have
been developed and where streets, fire protection, sewer and other public ser­vices
are readily available or already provided.
Locational Standards: Regulations providing criteria for the relationship of
one land use to another. A requirement that a high school be located on an
arterial street is an example of a locational standard.
Mixed Use Developmen~: The coordinated development of three or more major uses
as part of one project- convention, performing arts and conference centers,
motels, hotels, specialty retail and high density residential.
lion-Conforming Uses: A building or use that is inconsonant with a district's
zoning regulations.
Performance Standard Zoninr Regulations providing genera 1 criteria for deter­mining
the acceptability o certain land uses, industries and buildings (as
distinguished from specification standards or detailed requirements). Perfor­mance
standards are usually written for noise, vibration, smoke, odor, dust,
dirt, glare, heat, fire hazards, noxious gases, waste, transportation, traffic,
aesthetics, density.
Planned Unit Development: A residential development in which the subdivision
and zoning regulations apply to the project as a whole rather than to its in­dividual
lots (as in most tract housing). Densities are calculated on a pro­ject
~Jide basis, permitting among other things, the clustering of houses and
provision of common open space.
Urban Services: Services such as central sewers, central water, professional
fire protection, and others, usually furnished to residents and activities of
to~ms and cities with population concentrations.
Urban s~rvi ce Pl annin' f,rea: According to the Ada County Comprehensive Plan
adopted in June of 19 7: Areas where municipal sewer facilities and most
other services and utilities are available or planned in officially adopted
p 1 ans.
36
-FLO-OD-S
Flood: An overflow of lands not normally covered by water and that are used
and useable by man. Two essential characteristics of floods are that the
inundation of land is temporary and that the land is adjacent to and inundated
by overflow from a river, stream, ocean, lake or other body of standing water.
Flood Plain: The relatively flat area or lowlands adjoining the channel of a
river or stream which has been or may be covered by flood water. The flood
plain includes the river channel, the floodway and the floodway fringe.
Floodway: That portion of the flood plain required to accommodate deep and
fast moving waters during time of flooding.
Floodway Frin~e: That portion of the flood plain extending from the floodway
to the edge o the flood plain. This area of the flood plain is characterized
by shallow, slow-moving or standing waters.
Flash Flood: A flood characterized by extremely fast-moving water with little
or no war~ing available. This form of flooding is typical of tributary creeks
to the Boise River. (Cottonwood, Crane, Hulls, Stuart, Etc.).
Regulated Flood: A flood that is usually controlled in some fashion upstream
by dams or storage ponds. These storage facilities can contain the entire
volume of flood water but will slow the movement of waters allowing some warn­ing
time.
GEOLOGY
Alluvial Fan: An assemblage of sediments marking the place where a stream moves
from a steep slope and fans out to a flatter gradient losing its capacity to
carry large amounts of sediments.
Erosion: A natural process whereby soil particles are carried away by the ac­tion
of wind or water.
Fault: A fracture in the earth or a zone of such fractures where movement has
displaced the sides of the fracture relative to one another.
STREETS
Functional Street Classification System: A part of transportation planning
procedures in which existing and proposed transportation routes are identified
by function and classification as "interstate," "principal arterial," "minor
arterial," "collector" or "local access" routes.
Principal Arterial: Serves main travel corridors between areas and across
the city; usually serves longer trip lengths and includes higher traffic
volume streets. Access is usually minimized. Serves as boundaries to neigh­borhoods.
Right-of-way widths usually 80ft. to 100 ft.
Minor Arterial: Includes medium traffic volume streets to and from arterials;
serves both local traffic and medium trip lengths. Serves as boundaries to
neighborhoods. Right-of-way widths usually 66 ft. to 80 ft.
37
Collector: Provides direct service to residential areas. Collects traffic
from local streets and distributes to higher classification. Usually spaced
no closer than l/2 mile. Right-of-way width usually 60 ft. to 66 ft.
Local Access Street: For local traffic movement and direct access to abutting
land. Enhance neighborhood. Right-of-way width usually 50 ft.
OTHER
Industrial Park: An area zoned and planned for varied industrial uses and de­veloped
and managed as a unit, usually with provision for common services for
the users. Special emphasis and attention are often given to aesthetics and
community compatability.
Mass Transit: The act or means of conveying masses of people from place to
place along a given right-of-way system; routes are usually pre-arranged and
service is operated according to prescribed scheduled.
Noise Sensitive Areas: An area where air craft noise will interfere with exist­ing
or planned use of the land. Whether noise interferes with a particular use
depends on the level of noise exposure and the type of activities which are in­volved.
Residential neighborhoods; education , health and religious structures
and sites, and outdoor recreational, cultural and historical sites may be noise
sensitive areas. Areas within "30 NEF" contour around the airport could be con­sidered
as a "noise sensitive area." The 30 NEF area is the area where the
"day-night" noise level is 65 decibels or higher.
Designated Landmark Buildings -According to Boise City Ordinance 3822, a
historical landmark is "any site ... building or structure of particular
historic or aesthetic significance to the city, the state or the nation.''
Examples may include architectural specimens which represent a period, style,
or method of construction; a notable work by a master architect; buildings
which reflect or exemplify cultural, .political, spiritual, economic, social
or artistic history of the city, state or nation. A procedure for designa­tion
of landmarks is described in the ordinance and includes study and re­commendation
by the Historic Preservation Commission, public hearing, the
meeting of criteria, and passage of an ordinance by the City Council.
Neighborhood - A local area whose residents are generally conscious of its
existence as an entity. In planning 1 iterature, a "neighborhood unit" is
a planned residential area organized on the princip that elementary school,
parks, playground, churches and shopping are within walking distance of each
residence. Heavy traffic is routed around the neighborhood, not through it.
(Clarence Arthui Perry, Regional Survey of New York and Its Environs. New
York 1929).
Convenience Commercial - Retail shop or shops which sell so-called "con­venience"
goods: foods, drugs and sundries for the day-to-day living needs
of the immediate neighborhood.
Class I Bike Path- A completely separated facility design for the exclusive
use_of bicycles. Con:licts at grade with other activities, such as pede­str1ans
and motor veh1cles, are kept to a minimum. This contrasts with
Class II and Class III Bike Lanes and Routes respectively. A Class II Lane
1s usu~lly developed ~i~hin the cross section of a roadway. A Class .III
R0ute 1s a shared fac1l1ty using low use vehicular streets specified by